June 17, 2020

Happy Wednesday, Tourism Partners!

This week marks a big step in our 2020 COVID-19 recovery efforts as our “Are You Ready?” TV spot launches in Denver, Des Moines, Omaha and Minneapolis. We will also be launching our out-of-home billboards in Denver, Chicago and Minneapolis starting this week. Geo-fenced rich media units will directly support the OOH while other digital efforts like native, video and paid social reinforce the message that South Dakota is open and safe to visit. In July, traditional radio and an effort with Pandora come online to generate even greater reach.

These efforts are part of the second phase of our “Great Places are Waiting” recovery campaign we launched in late March. This three-phased campaign focuses even more on the road trip and some of South Dakota's greatest assets, like the many great places and wide-open spaces that draw 14.5 million visitors annually. Our current phase lets people know that South Dakota is open and great places are waiting, if they're ready to travel. Phase 1 encouraged people to stay home, stay safe and to know that great places will be waiting. Phase 3 sees a return to more short-term action and immediate bookings with calls-to-actions like "Let's Roadtrip!" and "Book now."

Target markets align better with the shorter distance that COVID-related research shows people are comfortable with traveling. Denver, Des Moines, Omaha and Minneapolis are primary markets with in-state and Chicago as secondary.

Our efforts focus a little less on families in the shortened peak travel season and more on our Wanderers and Searchers audiences that crave bucket-list experiences and exploring the outdoors. To see more about our campaign – from creative to our "Great Places are Waiting" one-sheeter that breaks down the shifts in message and tactics across the three phases, visit our campaign page on SDVisit.com.

As always, please keep in touch with us and let us know if we can be of assistance with anything. Have a great week and stay well!

All our best,
Jim & Team

Jim Hagen
Secretary of Tourism