Every fall, thousands of families, friends, and dogs flock to South Dakota to experience pheasant hunting. But hunting in South Dakota is more than the shots you take and the birds you bag. It’s adventure. Connection and reconnection. It’s tradition. Hunting is about getting your boots in the dirt. It’s the anticipation of the flush. And the joy of flying feathers. Pheasant hunting is about sharing old stories and creating new traditions. It’s answering the call to come back again and again…to Hunt the Greatest in South Dakota.
Travel South Dakota's 2024 hunting marketing campaign, in partnership with South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks, continues to build off our brand strategy of showcasing South Dakota’s grit (the raw adventure of the fields) and grace (the hospitality we extend to hunters.) This year, we are telling our core outdoors audience to come for the birds and stay for the bond – because South Dakota is where a trip becomes tradition.
CAMPAIGN TIMING: August–December 2024
We kicked off our 2024 hunting campaign in early August and will continue efforts through the end of December.
AUDIENCES
This year’s hunting campaign will continue to expand the strong tradition by recruiting new hunters and retaining hunters to come back year after year. We’ll achieve this goal through hyper-targeting our core outdoors audiences (Demographics: 25-64 years old, male and female) through general hunting messaging and retargeting, ultimately driving them to convert on Hunt the Greatest for resources to book a trip and purchase their license.
MARKETS
In-state: South Dakota
Primary: Arkansas, Colorado, Dallas, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming
TACTICS
Hyper-targeted national television, print, digital audio, video, display, search, email, paid and organic social media, along with strategic partnerships and custom content.
PARTNERSHIPS
In 2024, we continue our established partnerships with Pheasants Forever while expanding partnerships with Field Ethos and Women’s Outdoor News.
The Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever efforts continue for another year, with high impact placements in each publication as well as digital content, display and email. Along with ongoing marketing efforts, the partnership positions South Dakota with national sponsor recognition and provides featured placement at the upcoming National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic in Kansas City (March 2025).
We’ll look to a new partnership with Field Ethos to reach our adventurer hunting audience. Using print and digital tactics like online content, digital video and eNewsletter inclusions, we will look to inform our target audience on the tradition, experience and facts associated to hunting in South Dakota.
Targeting our female hunting audience, we’ll build a partnership with Women’s Outdoor News. Through digital display and custom content promotion, messaging will reach the Women’s Outdoor News audience emphasizing the opportunity and experience found in hunting in South Dakota.
CREATIVE EXAMPLES
Video
:30 video
Field Ethos, full page, and Pheasants Forever, half page (click to view a PDF)
Social
FOR INFORMATION
For more information, please contact Erin Weinzettel, Global Marketing & Brand Strategy Director for Travel South Dakota, or Nick Harrington, Communications Manager for South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks.