Visit Jacksonville Proposal
Content
Where everything is ideal!
Prepared for: Visit Jacksonville
Prepared by: Anthony Evans, Dorothee Kohler, Erin Keith, Leslie Priddy
Executive Summary
D.E.A.L. Agency created a campaign proposal for Visit Jacksonville. The intention of the campaign is to
make Jacksonville Beach a destination stop on the I-95 corridor heading south to Orlando. The target
audience includes the age group 25 to 44 years old and 45 to 64 years old. For this campaign the D.E.A.L.
Agency is focusing on the 25 to 44 years old age group. “Jacksonville Beach, more than just a one-day
stop”. The slogan directly relates to the campaign goal by targeting I-95 drivers to stop and visit
Jacksonville Beach for more than just a day.
D.E.A.L. Agency has generated a three-part campaign which will run from the beginning of March 2015
to the end of May 2015. One of the components of the campaign is to increase the number of visitors at
Jacksonville Beach during the month of May in 2015. This will be achieved by creating a two-day
musical festival called “Jax Fin Fest” partnered with and sponsored by Landshark Lager. This event will
take place Memorial Weekend, starting May 23rd and ending May 24th. D.E.A.L. Agency will utilize
materials such as fliers and radio broadcasts.
The second components of the campaign is to start an informational and promotional print and social
media campaign to reach the target audience and promote the event to 100,000 people. D.E.A.L. Agency
will be partnering with Landshark Lager to wrap a large van in graphics promoting “Jax Fin Fest” and
attaching a model shark fin to the top of the van. To travel along I-95 to key cities. A shark mascot will
appear in the key cities and hand-out fliers for the event. Three billboards along I-95 will also be made to
promote “Jax Fin Fest” A social media campaign will be made through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
with the name #FollowTheFin and #JaxFinFest.
The last component of the campaign is to increase overnight hotel stays during the month of May by 10
percent. This will be done by partnering with hotels in Jacksonville Beach and offering a vacation
package for the event. Included in the vacation package, a discounted ticket to the event with at least a
one-night stay the participating hotel. The purchase of the vacation package enters the individual into a
drawing for a hotel stay for the following year. Promotion for hotel package will be done by utilizing the
social media sites and the #FollowTheFin.
D.E.A.L. Agency plans to continuously evaluate the campaign with a final review through social media
likes and ratings. D.E.A.L. Agency will also use aerial photos to determine the success of the event, as
well as the ticket sells. D.E.A.L. Agency also plans to continuously check hotel figures for the month of
June following the event to see the increase in stays in Jacksonville Beach.
D.E.A.L. Agency
Agency Mission Statement
We strive to provide excellent outreach and mediation services to create ideal relationships with
business partners and their publics.
With D.E.A.L. Agency, everything is ideal.
Agency Staff
Leslie Priddy:
Leslie Priddy is a PRSA Accredited Public Relations Practitioner. Leslie graduated from the University of
North Florida in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in communication with a specialization in public relations
as well as a minor in entrepreneurship. She had an internship at the Florida Theater and then pursued an
internship at HGTV. After her internship with HGTV, she became the social media director for the
company and researched all the current and future trends from party planning to home decorating. She
acquired an extensive background with social media and tourism at both internships.
Leslie is now currently working at the D.E.A.L. Agency where she hopes to bring a creative and social
aspect to the company. She plans to help Jacksonville and the surrounding areas to grow and become a
premier vacation destination for travelers.
Anthony Evans:
Anthony Evans joined D.E.A.L. Agency in January 2012. Prior to joining the agency he worked with the
Occupational Health and Safety Administration for the United States Department of Labor, Wildlife
Conservation Society and the National Forest Foundation. At D.E.A.L. Agency he specializes in the
development of localized community outreach programs, communication analytics and non-profit
organization campaign strategies. He plays an essential role in the planning and deployment of
community-based public relations campaigns. He mainly works with non-profit organizations, youth
groups and charitable/religious organizations.
Anthony graduated cum laude with an A.S. in Public Relations from Hesser College in his hometown of
Manchester, NH in 2002. Shortly following graduation he obtained his APR accreditation from the Public
Relation Society of America. He worked with O.H.S.A. at the U.S. Department of Labor for several years
before deciding to attend the University of North Florida. He graduated, again cum laude, from University
of North Florida and holds a B.S. in Communications concentrating on Public Relations. He worked with
both the Wildlife Conservation Society and the National Forest Foundation after his graduation.
Anthony enjoys participating in environmental conservation projects and working with local youth
groups. Although, he enjoys being a seasoned traveler, he claims he was drawn to Florida by the weather
and nice beaches, but noted it was the Jacksonville community that convinced him to relocate
permanently. He actively participates in many of Jacksonville’s public events and volunteers much of his
time to local environmental conservation efforts.
Dorothee Kohler:
Dorothee Kohler joined D.E.A.L. Agency in January 2013. Dorothee is an Accredited Public Relations
Practitioner through the Public Relations Society of America. Dorothee is originally from France and
graduated from the French Communication School, SciencesCom Group Audencia, with a Bachelor’s
degree in Corporate Communication. Then she moved to Florida in pursuit of a Master’s degree in
Communication with a focus on Public Relations at the University of North Florida.
She ended her study with an internship at the Cruise Center of Jacksonville. The Cruise Center of
Jacksonville agency is a member of Signature Travel Network and has over 6,000 travel professionals
who share one objective; to serve the unique needs of discerning travelers.
Dorothee continued on to work for Signature Travel Network as a communication and social media
specialist and is an expert in the tourism industry and with social media.
She is now working for the D.E.A.L. Agency where she enjoys creating ideal relationships with business
partners and their publics, especially with travel agencies developing the tourism industry.
Erin Keith:
Erin Keith is a PRSA Accredited Public Relations Practitioner. She graduated from the University of
North Florida in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a focus in public relations. She then
worked her way up from an internship position at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens to the
Marketing Director position. Having worked in a historical museum located in downtown Jacksonville,
Erin has worked closely with several Florida publications, both at the local and state levels, including
FOLIO Weekly, The Florida Times Union and Visit Florida.
Erin is particularly talented in the implementation and placement of visual aspects of a campaign.
Currently, Erin is a key member at D.E.A.L. Agency, looking to expand her clientele out of the
downtown area and to use her talents to help the city of Jacksonville thrive and grow.
Client Background
Visit Jacksonville is funded by a six percent bed tax placed on all hotel rooms in Duval County. Two
percent of the bed tax is dedicated to the Duval County Tourist Development Council, TDC. TDC
allocates 70 percent of its funds for Visit Jacksonville. Visit Jacksonville has around 500 partner
attractions, hotels and service companies that they work with every year. Visit Jacksonville assists and
helps over 400 different groups set up annual convention meetings, sports tournaments and trades shows
in Jacksonville. Visit Jacksonville is the marketing partner for the city outside the local area. It works
with media all over the world to help bring people to the Jacksonville, Florida area.
The mission statement of Visit Jacksonville is to create and globally market, sell and promote an
exceptional visitor experience resulting in greater community prosperity, pride and vitality.
The organization has 22 full time employees and a vast amount of hospitality experience. They seek to
share all Jacksonville has to offer visitors traveling to the area. Jacksonville seeks to promote all the local
businesses, service companies, attractions, convention centers, airports, and local hot spots local to
Jacksonville. Visit Jacksonville uses its online site, annually printed Jacksonville Visitor Magazine, and
direct marketing to reach its target market, with a focus on Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast areas.
The target market for digital campaigns age demographics are men and women 25-34 and 35-54 who
have a household income of $75,000 or more.
Visit Jacksonville competes directly with Visit Orlando, Visit Tallahassee and Visit Florida in Florida,
but competes with similar organizations globally. Many states have state funded programs that complete
similar marketing campaigns that are also in direct competition with Visit Jacksonville.
SWOT
Strengths
● 500 partner attractions
● Global marketing reach as the
marketing partner for the city
outside the local area
● Has both printed (Jacksonville
Visitor Magazine) and online
(www.visitjacksonville.com)
information sources
● Has already identified an audience
in their business plan as, “Leisure
Visitors consider Jacksonville a
beach destination or an arts and
culture destination. Most leisure
visitors came to the city for the first
time to attend a major festival or
sporting event. The majority of
visitation comes from the 5-6 hour
drive market, but we have seen
growth from the eastern seaboard.”
Weaknesses
● Limited budget of $25,000
● Limited run-time for campaign (3-6
weeks)
● Just 22 employees run the
organization
● High volumes of visitors can make
beach access scarce
● Maintaining visitors overnight
Opportunities
Threats
● A target market of both men and
● Competitors: Visit Orlando, Visit
women ranging from 25- 55 years
Tallahassee, Visit Florida
old provides a broad audience
● Potential for visitors to overlook
● May appeal to Jacksonville residents
Jacksonville in favor of other
or those nearby without beach
Florida beach cities
access
● Funding comes from six percent
● Can promote Jacksonville as the
bed tax from hotel rooms.
largest city in the United States with
Overnight visitors become crucial
many different opportunities.
Situation Analysis
Visit Jacksonville is interested in attracting travelers coming through Florida from the northeast,
particularly who are traveling through the area to spend time at Jacksonville Beaches, on their way to
Orlando or going to other theme parks in central Florida. Visit Jacksonville has a limited budget for this
project, so they are looking for traditional and social media relations strategies to promote the area to
travelers. Visit Jacksonville is seeking creative and strategic ideas that can be implemented to reach large
groups of travelers passing through the area. A sponsorship given to Visit Jacksonville awarded $25,000
to launch a public relations campaign to reach consumers and give them a reason to stay and visit in
Jacksonville, Fla. on their trip.
Secondary Research
Visit Jacksonville is the official travel information resource for the Jacksonville area. Visit Jacksonville
puts all the information travelers need about Jacksonville and the beaches together and offers concierge
services for Jacksonville, Fla. Their mission is to create and globally market, sell, and promote an
exceptional visitor experience in Jacksonville.
Visit Jacksonville is funded by bed tax dollars. The six percent bed tax is placed on all hotel rooms in
Duval County. Of the six percent tax collected, two percent is allocated to the Prime Osborn Convention
Center, two percent to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, and two percent to the TDC. Of the TDC's
portion, 80 percent is used to fund Visit Jacksonville. The organization's funding is supplemented through
Partnership dues.
Visit Jacksonville communicates frequently via their website. They put online different types of
information such as up-to-date information that we can find on blogs from local experts, information on a
calendar so all events appear daily and by category, and few videos that show the latest interesting
destination in Jacksonville. Anyone can either download or share a video so they can easily spread
information about Jacksonville. There is also the possibility to ask and receive the complimentary visitor
magazine guide and the newsletter by email. News releases and leisure media releases can be found
updated on the website.
Visit Jacksonville also uses social media in order to spread information about Jacksonville. Since 2008
they have on Twitter: 6,102 tweets, 466 photos and videos, 1,560 following and 18,000 followers.
Since 2010 they have been on Facebook with 51,957 likes and 884 visits. On Instagram, they have 232
posts, 1,340 followers and 120 following.
Audience Analysis
Useful information and statistics were compiled by the research firms Longwoods International and
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics Company, about the visitor profile and the economic impact
of tourism in 2013 in Duval County.
10.5 million person trips generated $2.2 billion in revenue: 5.3 million are overnight visits and 5.2 million
are visiting only for the day. It is important to notice that more overnight stays along with higher prices
pushed spending up 5.1 percent in 2013.
The profile of the overnight Duval county visitor is 51 percent female and 49 percent male. 41 percent of
them are between 25 and 44 years old and 29 percent of them are between 45 and 64 years old.
It is also important to notice that 47 percent of the visitors stayed in hotel and 33 percent stayed with
friends or family. They prefer to use Internet because 57 percent of them booked their trip on Internet.
33 percent of visitors come from Florida and 15 percent come from Georgia. They prefer to travel with
their own car, 67 percent of travelers used their own vehicle and 23 percent used a rental car. When they
traveled to Jacksonville in 2013, 47 percent of visitors came to do shopping and 32 percent came for the
beaches.
Primary Research
We asked our surveyors if they resided in jacksonville and what their gender is.
We asked our surveyors their age group and if they believed Jacksonville is a major destination.
The survey asked what brings a person to the beach and what would make them stay at the beach.
We ended the survey with the question what can be improved at the beach.
Proposed Additional Research
Should D.E.A.L. Agency be chosen for this account, additional research would be conducted by sending
trained focus group mediators in teams of five to the 10 key cities identified in the objectives of this
proposal. Each mediator would hold 10 focus group sessions over a period of one month with a focus
group size of 12 people, resulting in a 6,000 person sample stretching over eight states along I-95. The
focus group mediators will ask open ended questions and lead a group discussion on the Jacksonville
area, how it is perceived, and how that perception can be changed or manipulated to fit this agency’s
campaign and the objective to benefit Visit Jacksonville. The participants would be given a survey, before
and after each focus group, to see how perceptions of Jacksonville can be changed.
Objectives
Goal
To increase the number of people who visit and stay overnight in Jacksonville while traveling down
I-95 to other areas in Florida.
Objective One: To increase the number of visitors at Jacksonville Beach during the month of May
in 2015 by 10 percent.
Strategy: According to the Visit Jacksonville website, most leisure visitors came to the city for the first
time to attend a major festival or sporting event. A festival event appeals to a majority of the target
audience as evidenced by our primary research, that shows a two-day music festival is most likely to
cause an overnight stay at Jacksonville Beach.
Tactics:
● Create a two-day music festival, Jax Fin Fest, partnered with and sponsored by Landshark Lager.
The event will take place over Memorial Day Weekend, starting on Saturday May 23rd, and
ending Sunday May 24th.
● Rent three barges to place along the beachfront to hold the vendors.
● Hire or develop sponsors with two other vendors, Captain Morgan and a local distillery in
Jacksonville called Burlock and Barrel Whiskey Distillery, to occupy the other two barges.
● Rent staging and sound equipment for one large stage and one smaller stage.
● Acquire legal permissions needed to hold the event on Jacksonville Beach.
● Hire musicians, both local and feature artists to perform live on the beach.
● Open the festival to local vendors including but not limited to food, craft, and informational
booths to increase the native Jacksonville experience.
Objective Two: To start an informational and promotional print and social media campaign to
reach the target audience and promote the event to 100,000 people.
Strategy: To get information to potential visitors outside of Florida and along I-95 about Jacksonville
Beach and the upcoming Jax Fin Fest to encourage attendance and create buzz for the event. Utilizing
both print and digital media will allow the agency to reach the wide age range of the targeted audience.
Tactics:
● Partner with Landshark Lager to wrap a large van in graphics promoting Jax Fin Fest and attach a
model shark fin to the top of the van. The van will travel to 10 key cities along I-95 including
Savannah, Georgia; Florence, South Carolina; Charlotte, South Carolina; Fayetteville, North
Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Petersburg, Virginia; Washington D.C.; Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania; New York, New York; and finally Boston, Massachusetts.
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Create a shark mascot with Landshark Lager to attract attention. The mascot will also travel with
the wrapped van that will hold set up equipment for an informational booth that can be set up in
the key cities, when permitted.
Print 50,000 fliers to pass out at the booth.
Print promotional signage, banners and any other promotional materials.
Print three billboard advertisements to be placed on I-95 in high traffic areas.
Begin a social media campaign, #FollowTheFin, by creating Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
accounts to document and promote the event as the van travels I-95 and stops at the key cities.
Make 100 posts to each social media account leading up to the event.
To expand on Visit Jacksonville’s existing social media presence by creating 5,000 new media
impressions about Jacksonville Beach, using the hashtags #JaxFinFest and #FollowTheFin.
Promote the use of social media by staging photo-ready scenes with the Landshark logo, shark
mascot, props, and other Jacksonville-promoting visuals.
Objective Three: To increase overnight hotel stays during the month of May in 2015 by 10 percent.
Strategy: Increasing overnight hotel stays increases the funds allocated to Visit Jacksonville through the
six percent bed tax on all hotel rooms, making the client better funded and promoting future possibilities
for future Visit Jacksonville projects.
Tactics:
● Partner with hotels in Jacksonville Beach to participate in offering a vacation package for the
event
● Include in the vacation package, a discounted ticket to the event with the purchase of at least a
one-night stay at the participating hotel.
● The purchase of a vacation package enters the individual into a drawing for a three night hotel
stay at the same hotel next year, further progressing the overall goal into the next calendar year.
● Promotion of the vacation package over the Internet utilizing existing Visit Jacksonville social
media platforms and website.
● Promotion of the vacation package on the Follow the Fin tour.
Creative Element
.E.A.L. Agency campaign slogan is “Jacksonville Beach, more than just a one-day stop.” The reason for
this specific tagline is to let people become aware that Jacksonville Beach is more than just a quick stop
heading further south on I-95. It gets drivers to start realizing that Jacksonville Beach can be a destination
for their next vacation spot.
The overall branding of Jax Fin Fest will be a compilation of both Visit Jacksonville and Landshark
Lager. All social media usage will be done through Visit Jacksonville since it is an established company
already. Using the same platform and look will let visitors know that Jacksonville is a destination
vacation.
Calendar
March
COMMUNICATION
Billboard
Promotional signage
Banners
Promotional materials
50,000 fliers
Create a shark mascot
Create Twitter,
Facebook, and
Instagram accounts
#FollowTheFin
April
COMMUNICATION
Promotion of the use of
social media by staging
photo-ready scenes with the
Landshark logo, shark
mascot, props, and other
Jacksonville-promoting
visuals.
May
EVENT
05/23/2015 - 05/24/2015
Jax Fin Fest
COMMUNICATION
Promotion of the use of
social media by staging
photo-ready scenes with
the Landshark logo, shark
mascot, props, and other
Promotion of the vacation Jacksonville-promoting
visuals.
package
Promotion of the vacation
package
June
EVALUATION
Recommended Budget
Item
Description and Units
Cost
Beach Permit
Permit for music-fest on the
beach
$50.00
Security
$15.00 per person for
15people @ 22 hours
$4,950.00
Billboard
Three billboards along I-95
corridor
@ $350.00 each
$1,050.00
Van Wrap
Driving Advertisement along
I-95
$1,050.00
Radio Ad
11 cities for three months @
$65.00 a month
$2,145.00
Fliers
50,000 @ $0.05
$2,500
First Aid
$70.00 an hour for 22hrs for
one vehicle.
$40.00 an hour for 22hrs for
two people
$3,300
Barge Rental
Three Party Barges @
$200.00 per barge
$600.00
Banners
Two banners @ $200.00
$400.00
Photo Cutout
Three Photo Center Cutout
@50.00
$150.00
Vacation Packages
Two prize Giveaway
$2,000
Total Budget
$18,195.00
Agency Fee
Standard Rate
$8,000.00
Grand Total
Including Agency Fee
$26,195.00
Evaluation
Objective one was to increase the number of visitors at Jacksonville Beach during the month of May 2015
by ten percent. To calculate what is already a large number we will be analyzing this statistic by utilizing
Tourism Economics Data provided by an Oxford Economics Company already working with Visit
Jacksonville. We can also collect immediate data for May, by gathering information from Visit
Jacksonville’s network of over 500 partner businesses. We will compare this data with data from 2014 to
determine if we were able to increase the number of visitors to Jacksonville Beach by a percentage of ten
or more. We will use aerial photos of the Jax Fin Fest to determine the success and overall turnout of the
specific event. Additionally, ticket sales will provide a good idea of the turnout, but given that it is on a
public beach, we understand that all who attend may not have purchased a ticket.
Objective two was to start an informational and promotional print and social media campaign to reach the
target audience and promote the event to 100,00 people. To determine if the target audience was reached
and that 100,000 people or more were informed about the Jax Fin Fest we will primarily be using social
media analytics to monitor the number of new media impressions. We will be analyzing the activity of
#FollowTheFin and #JaxFinFest to ensure that we exceed 5,000 impressions and reach and audience
greater than 100,000 people. Additionally, we have 50,000 fliers that will be physically distributed to the
targeted audience in the 10 key cities noted in the objective. The number of distributed fliers will be
another indicator to determine the number of target audience members that were notified about the Jax
Fin Fest.
Objective three was to increase overnight hotel stays during the month of May 2015 by ten percent.
Tourism Economics data will again prove useful in determining the overall increase of hotel stays. The
majority of hotels in Jacksonville are partners with Visit Jacksonville, which will aid in obtaining
immediate data for analysis. The number of promotional vacation packages sold will be another indicator
on how many people stayed overnight at hotels.
Appendix
Visit Jacksonville Website (2014). [ONLINE]. Available at:
http://www.visitjacksonville.com/about-us/
Visit Jacksonville Website: Board of Directors. (2014). [ONLINE]. Available at:
http://www.visitjacksonville.com/about-us/board-of-directors/
Visit Jacksonville Website: The Tourist Development Council. (2014). Available at:
http://www.visitjacksonville.com/about-us/tdc/
2014-2015 Visit Jacksonville Strategic Plan. (2014). [ONLINE].
2014-2015 Visit Jacksonville Business Plan. (2014). [ONLINE].
2013 Economic Impact of Tourism on Jacksonville. (2014). [ONLINE].
2013 Visitor Profile. (2014). [ONLINE]. Available at:
http://www.visitjacksonville.com/about-us/research-information/
Survey
1) Are you currently living in Jacksonville?
a) Yes
b) No
2) What is your gender?
a) Male
b) Female
c) Other
3) What is your age range?
a) 18-24 years
b) 25-44 years
c) 45-64 years
d) 65+ years
4) Rate how strongly you agree or disagree with this statement: Jacksonville is a major destination in
Florida
(1) Strongly agree (2) Somewhat agree
(4) Somewhat disagree
(3) Neither agree nor Disagree
(5) Strongly Disagree
5) List the regions of Jacksonville in order of most likely to visit (1) and (6) least likely to visit
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
e) 5
f) 6
http://www.nlcurve.com/brierwoodassoc/cpac.gif
6) When you visit the Beaches, what brings you?
a) Sun/ ocean
b) Bars/ restaurants
c) Sports/ water sports
d) Visiting a Friend or Family
e) Community events
f) Music venue
g) Other_______________
7) Which event would be most likely to get you to stay overnight at the Beaches?
a) 2- Day Music Venue
b) Food Festival
c) Bar Hopping
d) Sporting Event
e) A Luxury Hotel or Resort
8) How could Jacksonville Improve its Beaches
a) Cleanliness
b) Parking
c) Security
d) Family Friendly Activities
e) Entertainment Venues
Prepared for: Visit Jacksonville
Prepared by: Anthony Evans, Dorothee Kohler, Erin Keith, Leslie Priddy
Executive Summary
D.E.A.L. Agency created a campaign proposal for Visit Jacksonville. The intention of the campaign is to
make Jacksonville Beach a destination stop on the I-95 corridor heading south to Orlando. The target
audience includes the age group 25 to 44 years old and 45 to 64 years old. For this campaign the D.E.A.L.
Agency is focusing on the 25 to 44 years old age group. “Jacksonville Beach, more than just a one-day
stop”. The slogan directly relates to the campaign goal by targeting I-95 drivers to stop and visit
Jacksonville Beach for more than just a day.
D.E.A.L. Agency has generated a three-part campaign which will run from the beginning of March 2015
to the end of May 2015. One of the components of the campaign is to increase the number of visitors at
Jacksonville Beach during the month of May in 2015. This will be achieved by creating a two-day
musical festival called “Jax Fin Fest” partnered with and sponsored by Landshark Lager. This event will
take place Memorial Weekend, starting May 23rd and ending May 24th. D.E.A.L. Agency will utilize
materials such as fliers and radio broadcasts.
The second components of the campaign is to start an informational and promotional print and social
media campaign to reach the target audience and promote the event to 100,000 people. D.E.A.L. Agency
will be partnering with Landshark Lager to wrap a large van in graphics promoting “Jax Fin Fest” and
attaching a model shark fin to the top of the van. To travel along I-95 to key cities. A shark mascot will
appear in the key cities and hand-out fliers for the event. Three billboards along I-95 will also be made to
promote “Jax Fin Fest” A social media campaign will be made through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
with the name #FollowTheFin and #JaxFinFest.
The last component of the campaign is to increase overnight hotel stays during the month of May by 10
percent. This will be done by partnering with hotels in Jacksonville Beach and offering a vacation
package for the event. Included in the vacation package, a discounted ticket to the event with at least a
one-night stay the participating hotel. The purchase of the vacation package enters the individual into a
drawing for a hotel stay for the following year. Promotion for hotel package will be done by utilizing the
social media sites and the #FollowTheFin.
D.E.A.L. Agency plans to continuously evaluate the campaign with a final review through social media
likes and ratings. D.E.A.L. Agency will also use aerial photos to determine the success of the event, as
well as the ticket sells. D.E.A.L. Agency also plans to continuously check hotel figures for the month of
June following the event to see the increase in stays in Jacksonville Beach.
D.E.A.L. Agency
Agency Mission Statement
We strive to provide excellent outreach and mediation services to create ideal relationships with
business partners and their publics.
With D.E.A.L. Agency, everything is ideal.
Agency Staff
Leslie Priddy:
Leslie Priddy is a PRSA Accredited Public Relations Practitioner. Leslie graduated from the University of
North Florida in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in communication with a specialization in public relations
as well as a minor in entrepreneurship. She had an internship at the Florida Theater and then pursued an
internship at HGTV. After her internship with HGTV, she became the social media director for the
company and researched all the current and future trends from party planning to home decorating. She
acquired an extensive background with social media and tourism at both internships.
Leslie is now currently working at the D.E.A.L. Agency where she hopes to bring a creative and social
aspect to the company. She plans to help Jacksonville and the surrounding areas to grow and become a
premier vacation destination for travelers.
Anthony Evans:
Anthony Evans joined D.E.A.L. Agency in January 2012. Prior to joining the agency he worked with the
Occupational Health and Safety Administration for the United States Department of Labor, Wildlife
Conservation Society and the National Forest Foundation. At D.E.A.L. Agency he specializes in the
development of localized community outreach programs, communication analytics and non-profit
organization campaign strategies. He plays an essential role in the planning and deployment of
community-based public relations campaigns. He mainly works with non-profit organizations, youth
groups and charitable/religious organizations.
Anthony graduated cum laude with an A.S. in Public Relations from Hesser College in his hometown of
Manchester, NH in 2002. Shortly following graduation he obtained his APR accreditation from the Public
Relation Society of America. He worked with O.H.S.A. at the U.S. Department of Labor for several years
before deciding to attend the University of North Florida. He graduated, again cum laude, from University
of North Florida and holds a B.S. in Communications concentrating on Public Relations. He worked with
both the Wildlife Conservation Society and the National Forest Foundation after his graduation.
Anthony enjoys participating in environmental conservation projects and working with local youth
groups. Although, he enjoys being a seasoned traveler, he claims he was drawn to Florida by the weather
and nice beaches, but noted it was the Jacksonville community that convinced him to relocate
permanently. He actively participates in many of Jacksonville’s public events and volunteers much of his
time to local environmental conservation efforts.
Dorothee Kohler:
Dorothee Kohler joined D.E.A.L. Agency in January 2013. Dorothee is an Accredited Public Relations
Practitioner through the Public Relations Society of America. Dorothee is originally from France and
graduated from the French Communication School, SciencesCom Group Audencia, with a Bachelor’s
degree in Corporate Communication. Then she moved to Florida in pursuit of a Master’s degree in
Communication with a focus on Public Relations at the University of North Florida.
She ended her study with an internship at the Cruise Center of Jacksonville. The Cruise Center of
Jacksonville agency is a member of Signature Travel Network and has over 6,000 travel professionals
who share one objective; to serve the unique needs of discerning travelers.
Dorothee continued on to work for Signature Travel Network as a communication and social media
specialist and is an expert in the tourism industry and with social media.
She is now working for the D.E.A.L. Agency where she enjoys creating ideal relationships with business
partners and their publics, especially with travel agencies developing the tourism industry.
Erin Keith:
Erin Keith is a PRSA Accredited Public Relations Practitioner. She graduated from the University of
North Florida in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a focus in public relations. She then
worked her way up from an internship position at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens to the
Marketing Director position. Having worked in a historical museum located in downtown Jacksonville,
Erin has worked closely with several Florida publications, both at the local and state levels, including
FOLIO Weekly, The Florida Times Union and Visit Florida.
Erin is particularly talented in the implementation and placement of visual aspects of a campaign.
Currently, Erin is a key member at D.E.A.L. Agency, looking to expand her clientele out of the
downtown area and to use her talents to help the city of Jacksonville thrive and grow.
Client Background
Visit Jacksonville is funded by a six percent bed tax placed on all hotel rooms in Duval County. Two
percent of the bed tax is dedicated to the Duval County Tourist Development Council, TDC. TDC
allocates 70 percent of its funds for Visit Jacksonville. Visit Jacksonville has around 500 partner
attractions, hotels and service companies that they work with every year. Visit Jacksonville assists and
helps over 400 different groups set up annual convention meetings, sports tournaments and trades shows
in Jacksonville. Visit Jacksonville is the marketing partner for the city outside the local area. It works
with media all over the world to help bring people to the Jacksonville, Florida area.
The mission statement of Visit Jacksonville is to create and globally market, sell and promote an
exceptional visitor experience resulting in greater community prosperity, pride and vitality.
The organization has 22 full time employees and a vast amount of hospitality experience. They seek to
share all Jacksonville has to offer visitors traveling to the area. Jacksonville seeks to promote all the local
businesses, service companies, attractions, convention centers, airports, and local hot spots local to
Jacksonville. Visit Jacksonville uses its online site, annually printed Jacksonville Visitor Magazine, and
direct marketing to reach its target market, with a focus on Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast areas.
The target market for digital campaigns age demographics are men and women 25-34 and 35-54 who
have a household income of $75,000 or more.
Visit Jacksonville competes directly with Visit Orlando, Visit Tallahassee and Visit Florida in Florida,
but competes with similar organizations globally. Many states have state funded programs that complete
similar marketing campaigns that are also in direct competition with Visit Jacksonville.
SWOT
Strengths
● 500 partner attractions
● Global marketing reach as the
marketing partner for the city
outside the local area
● Has both printed (Jacksonville
Visitor Magazine) and online
(www.visitjacksonville.com)
information sources
● Has already identified an audience
in their business plan as, “Leisure
Visitors consider Jacksonville a
beach destination or an arts and
culture destination. Most leisure
visitors came to the city for the first
time to attend a major festival or
sporting event. The majority of
visitation comes from the 5-6 hour
drive market, but we have seen
growth from the eastern seaboard.”
Weaknesses
● Limited budget of $25,000
● Limited run-time for campaign (3-6
weeks)
● Just 22 employees run the
organization
● High volumes of visitors can make
beach access scarce
● Maintaining visitors overnight
Opportunities
Threats
● A target market of both men and
● Competitors: Visit Orlando, Visit
women ranging from 25- 55 years
Tallahassee, Visit Florida
old provides a broad audience
● Potential for visitors to overlook
● May appeal to Jacksonville residents
Jacksonville in favor of other
or those nearby without beach
Florida beach cities
access
● Funding comes from six percent
● Can promote Jacksonville as the
bed tax from hotel rooms.
largest city in the United States with
Overnight visitors become crucial
many different opportunities.
Situation Analysis
Visit Jacksonville is interested in attracting travelers coming through Florida from the northeast,
particularly who are traveling through the area to spend time at Jacksonville Beaches, on their way to
Orlando or going to other theme parks in central Florida. Visit Jacksonville has a limited budget for this
project, so they are looking for traditional and social media relations strategies to promote the area to
travelers. Visit Jacksonville is seeking creative and strategic ideas that can be implemented to reach large
groups of travelers passing through the area. A sponsorship given to Visit Jacksonville awarded $25,000
to launch a public relations campaign to reach consumers and give them a reason to stay and visit in
Jacksonville, Fla. on their trip.
Secondary Research
Visit Jacksonville is the official travel information resource for the Jacksonville area. Visit Jacksonville
puts all the information travelers need about Jacksonville and the beaches together and offers concierge
services for Jacksonville, Fla. Their mission is to create and globally market, sell, and promote an
exceptional visitor experience in Jacksonville.
Visit Jacksonville is funded by bed tax dollars. The six percent bed tax is placed on all hotel rooms in
Duval County. Of the six percent tax collected, two percent is allocated to the Prime Osborn Convention
Center, two percent to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, and two percent to the TDC. Of the TDC's
portion, 80 percent is used to fund Visit Jacksonville. The organization's funding is supplemented through
Partnership dues.
Visit Jacksonville communicates frequently via their website. They put online different types of
information such as up-to-date information that we can find on blogs from local experts, information on a
calendar so all events appear daily and by category, and few videos that show the latest interesting
destination in Jacksonville. Anyone can either download or share a video so they can easily spread
information about Jacksonville. There is also the possibility to ask and receive the complimentary visitor
magazine guide and the newsletter by email. News releases and leisure media releases can be found
updated on the website.
Visit Jacksonville also uses social media in order to spread information about Jacksonville. Since 2008
they have on Twitter: 6,102 tweets, 466 photos and videos, 1,560 following and 18,000 followers.
Since 2010 they have been on Facebook with 51,957 likes and 884 visits. On Instagram, they have 232
posts, 1,340 followers and 120 following.
Audience Analysis
Useful information and statistics were compiled by the research firms Longwoods International and
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics Company, about the visitor profile and the economic impact
of tourism in 2013 in Duval County.
10.5 million person trips generated $2.2 billion in revenue: 5.3 million are overnight visits and 5.2 million
are visiting only for the day. It is important to notice that more overnight stays along with higher prices
pushed spending up 5.1 percent in 2013.
The profile of the overnight Duval county visitor is 51 percent female and 49 percent male. 41 percent of
them are between 25 and 44 years old and 29 percent of them are between 45 and 64 years old.
It is also important to notice that 47 percent of the visitors stayed in hotel and 33 percent stayed with
friends or family. They prefer to use Internet because 57 percent of them booked their trip on Internet.
33 percent of visitors come from Florida and 15 percent come from Georgia. They prefer to travel with
their own car, 67 percent of travelers used their own vehicle and 23 percent used a rental car. When they
traveled to Jacksonville in 2013, 47 percent of visitors came to do shopping and 32 percent came for the
beaches.
Primary Research
We asked our surveyors if they resided in jacksonville and what their gender is.
We asked our surveyors their age group and if they believed Jacksonville is a major destination.
The survey asked what brings a person to the beach and what would make them stay at the beach.
We ended the survey with the question what can be improved at the beach.
Proposed Additional Research
Should D.E.A.L. Agency be chosen for this account, additional research would be conducted by sending
trained focus group mediators in teams of five to the 10 key cities identified in the objectives of this
proposal. Each mediator would hold 10 focus group sessions over a period of one month with a focus
group size of 12 people, resulting in a 6,000 person sample stretching over eight states along I-95. The
focus group mediators will ask open ended questions and lead a group discussion on the Jacksonville
area, how it is perceived, and how that perception can be changed or manipulated to fit this agency’s
campaign and the objective to benefit Visit Jacksonville. The participants would be given a survey, before
and after each focus group, to see how perceptions of Jacksonville can be changed.
Objectives
Goal
To increase the number of people who visit and stay overnight in Jacksonville while traveling down
I-95 to other areas in Florida.
Objective One: To increase the number of visitors at Jacksonville Beach during the month of May
in 2015 by 10 percent.
Strategy: According to the Visit Jacksonville website, most leisure visitors came to the city for the first
time to attend a major festival or sporting event. A festival event appeals to a majority of the target
audience as evidenced by our primary research, that shows a two-day music festival is most likely to
cause an overnight stay at Jacksonville Beach.
Tactics:
● Create a two-day music festival, Jax Fin Fest, partnered with and sponsored by Landshark Lager.
The event will take place over Memorial Day Weekend, starting on Saturday May 23rd, and
ending Sunday May 24th.
● Rent three barges to place along the beachfront to hold the vendors.
● Hire or develop sponsors with two other vendors, Captain Morgan and a local distillery in
Jacksonville called Burlock and Barrel Whiskey Distillery, to occupy the other two barges.
● Rent staging and sound equipment for one large stage and one smaller stage.
● Acquire legal permissions needed to hold the event on Jacksonville Beach.
● Hire musicians, both local and feature artists to perform live on the beach.
● Open the festival to local vendors including but not limited to food, craft, and informational
booths to increase the native Jacksonville experience.
Objective Two: To start an informational and promotional print and social media campaign to
reach the target audience and promote the event to 100,000 people.
Strategy: To get information to potential visitors outside of Florida and along I-95 about Jacksonville
Beach and the upcoming Jax Fin Fest to encourage attendance and create buzz for the event. Utilizing
both print and digital media will allow the agency to reach the wide age range of the targeted audience.
Tactics:
● Partner with Landshark Lager to wrap a large van in graphics promoting Jax Fin Fest and attach a
model shark fin to the top of the van. The van will travel to 10 key cities along I-95 including
Savannah, Georgia; Florence, South Carolina; Charlotte, South Carolina; Fayetteville, North
Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Petersburg, Virginia; Washington D.C.; Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania; New York, New York; and finally Boston, Massachusetts.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
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Create a shark mascot with Landshark Lager to attract attention. The mascot will also travel with
the wrapped van that will hold set up equipment for an informational booth that can be set up in
the key cities, when permitted.
Print 50,000 fliers to pass out at the booth.
Print promotional signage, banners and any other promotional materials.
Print three billboard advertisements to be placed on I-95 in high traffic areas.
Begin a social media campaign, #FollowTheFin, by creating Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
accounts to document and promote the event as the van travels I-95 and stops at the key cities.
Make 100 posts to each social media account leading up to the event.
To expand on Visit Jacksonville’s existing social media presence by creating 5,000 new media
impressions about Jacksonville Beach, using the hashtags #JaxFinFest and #FollowTheFin.
Promote the use of social media by staging photo-ready scenes with the Landshark logo, shark
mascot, props, and other Jacksonville-promoting visuals.
Objective Three: To increase overnight hotel stays during the month of May in 2015 by 10 percent.
Strategy: Increasing overnight hotel stays increases the funds allocated to Visit Jacksonville through the
six percent bed tax on all hotel rooms, making the client better funded and promoting future possibilities
for future Visit Jacksonville projects.
Tactics:
● Partner with hotels in Jacksonville Beach to participate in offering a vacation package for the
event
● Include in the vacation package, a discounted ticket to the event with the purchase of at least a
one-night stay at the participating hotel.
● The purchase of a vacation package enters the individual into a drawing for a three night hotel
stay at the same hotel next year, further progressing the overall goal into the next calendar year.
● Promotion of the vacation package over the Internet utilizing existing Visit Jacksonville social
media platforms and website.
● Promotion of the vacation package on the Follow the Fin tour.
Creative Element
.E.A.L. Agency campaign slogan is “Jacksonville Beach, more than just a one-day stop.” The reason for
this specific tagline is to let people become aware that Jacksonville Beach is more than just a quick stop
heading further south on I-95. It gets drivers to start realizing that Jacksonville Beach can be a destination
for their next vacation spot.
The overall branding of Jax Fin Fest will be a compilation of both Visit Jacksonville and Landshark
Lager. All social media usage will be done through Visit Jacksonville since it is an established company
already. Using the same platform and look will let visitors know that Jacksonville is a destination
vacation.
Calendar
March
COMMUNICATION
Billboard
Promotional signage
Banners
Promotional materials
50,000 fliers
Create a shark mascot
Create Twitter,
Facebook, and
Instagram accounts
#FollowTheFin
April
COMMUNICATION
Promotion of the use of
social media by staging
photo-ready scenes with the
Landshark logo, shark
mascot, props, and other
Jacksonville-promoting
visuals.
May
EVENT
05/23/2015 - 05/24/2015
Jax Fin Fest
COMMUNICATION
Promotion of the use of
social media by staging
photo-ready scenes with
the Landshark logo, shark
mascot, props, and other
Promotion of the vacation Jacksonville-promoting
visuals.
package
Promotion of the vacation
package
June
EVALUATION
Recommended Budget
Item
Description and Units
Cost
Beach Permit
Permit for music-fest on the
beach
$50.00
Security
$15.00 per person for
15people @ 22 hours
$4,950.00
Billboard
Three billboards along I-95
corridor
@ $350.00 each
$1,050.00
Van Wrap
Driving Advertisement along
I-95
$1,050.00
Radio Ad
11 cities for three months @
$65.00 a month
$2,145.00
Fliers
50,000 @ $0.05
$2,500
First Aid
$70.00 an hour for 22hrs for
one vehicle.
$40.00 an hour for 22hrs for
two people
$3,300
Barge Rental
Three Party Barges @
$200.00 per barge
$600.00
Banners
Two banners @ $200.00
$400.00
Photo Cutout
Three Photo Center Cutout
@50.00
$150.00
Vacation Packages
Two prize Giveaway
$2,000
Total Budget
$18,195.00
Agency Fee
Standard Rate
$8,000.00
Grand Total
Including Agency Fee
$26,195.00
Evaluation
Objective one was to increase the number of visitors at Jacksonville Beach during the month of May 2015
by ten percent. To calculate what is already a large number we will be analyzing this statistic by utilizing
Tourism Economics Data provided by an Oxford Economics Company already working with Visit
Jacksonville. We can also collect immediate data for May, by gathering information from Visit
Jacksonville’s network of over 500 partner businesses. We will compare this data with data from 2014 to
determine if we were able to increase the number of visitors to Jacksonville Beach by a percentage of ten
or more. We will use aerial photos of the Jax Fin Fest to determine the success and overall turnout of the
specific event. Additionally, ticket sales will provide a good idea of the turnout, but given that it is on a
public beach, we understand that all who attend may not have purchased a ticket.
Objective two was to start an informational and promotional print and social media campaign to reach the
target audience and promote the event to 100,00 people. To determine if the target audience was reached
and that 100,000 people or more were informed about the Jax Fin Fest we will primarily be using social
media analytics to monitor the number of new media impressions. We will be analyzing the activity of
#FollowTheFin and #JaxFinFest to ensure that we exceed 5,000 impressions and reach and audience
greater than 100,000 people. Additionally, we have 50,000 fliers that will be physically distributed to the
targeted audience in the 10 key cities noted in the objective. The number of distributed fliers will be
another indicator to determine the number of target audience members that were notified about the Jax
Fin Fest.
Objective three was to increase overnight hotel stays during the month of May 2015 by ten percent.
Tourism Economics data will again prove useful in determining the overall increase of hotel stays. The
majority of hotels in Jacksonville are partners with Visit Jacksonville, which will aid in obtaining
immediate data for analysis. The number of promotional vacation packages sold will be another indicator
on how many people stayed overnight at hotels.
Appendix
Visit Jacksonville Website (2014). [ONLINE]. Available at:
http://www.visitjacksonville.com/about-us/
Visit Jacksonville Website: Board of Directors. (2014). [ONLINE]. Available at:
http://www.visitjacksonville.com/about-us/board-of-directors/
Visit Jacksonville Website: The Tourist Development Council. (2014). Available at:
http://www.visitjacksonville.com/about-us/tdc/
2014-2015 Visit Jacksonville Strategic Plan. (2014). [ONLINE].
2014-2015 Visit Jacksonville Business Plan. (2014). [ONLINE].
2013 Economic Impact of Tourism on Jacksonville. (2014). [ONLINE].
2013 Visitor Profile. (2014). [ONLINE]. Available at:
http://www.visitjacksonville.com/about-us/research-information/
Survey
1) Are you currently living in Jacksonville?
a) Yes
b) No
2) What is your gender?
a) Male
b) Female
c) Other
3) What is your age range?
a) 18-24 years
b) 25-44 years
c) 45-64 years
d) 65+ years
4) Rate how strongly you agree or disagree with this statement: Jacksonville is a major destination in
Florida
(1) Strongly agree (2) Somewhat agree
(4) Somewhat disagree
(3) Neither agree nor Disagree
(5) Strongly Disagree
5) List the regions of Jacksonville in order of most likely to visit (1) and (6) least likely to visit
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
e) 5
f) 6
http://www.nlcurve.com/brierwoodassoc/cpac.gif
6) When you visit the Beaches, what brings you?
a) Sun/ ocean
b) Bars/ restaurants
c) Sports/ water sports
d) Visiting a Friend or Family
e) Community events
f) Music venue
g) Other_______________
7) Which event would be most likely to get you to stay overnight at the Beaches?
a) 2- Day Music Venue
b) Food Festival
c) Bar Hopping
d) Sporting Event
e) A Luxury Hotel or Resort
8) How could Jacksonville Improve its Beaches
a) Cleanliness
b) Parking
c) Security
d) Family Friendly Activities
e) Entertainment Venues
