Visit Lauderdale, the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Greater Fort Lauderdale in South Florida, unveiled its new brand campaign “Everyone Under the Sun” at a recent annual marketing luncheon at the reimagined Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. The vibrant campaign reflects Greater Fort Lauderdale’s authentic welcoming vibe and its inclusive community.
“This campaign goes to the heart of what makes our community great – the people and our diverse offerings. We now have a strong campaign that truly reflects who we are and shows how special Greater Fort Lauderdale is in every bold, beautiful, and surprising way,” said Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale. “We are graciously welcoming everyone, and I mean everyone, to come join us and experience our tropical paradise rich with culture, flavor and unique experiences. Our diversity is our strength, and we are proudly telling this story to the world.”
The destination’s commitment to inclusion is front and center with ads starring locals with disabilities, members of the area’s LGBT+ community (Greater Fort Lauderdale is Florida’s LGBT+ capital), people of a diverse age range and various racial and ethnic identities. People from more than 170 countries speaking 147 languages call Greater Fort Lauderdale home. Together, they make up the rich tapestry of Greater Fort Lauderdale, 31 municipalities strong. They are the welcoming committee for anyone and everyone who comes to visit.
Due to the pandemic, the conceptualization and full deployment of the brand campaign took three years. The campaign brings full circle the evolution of the destination’s brand and tagline. Previously known as the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau with the tagline “Hello Sunny,” the DMO was rebranded with the new tagline “Everyone Under the Sun” in May 2021. During the unprecedented time, Visit Lauderdale rallied not only the hospitality industry, but also businesses and residents to continue welcoming all.
Visit Lauderdale markets the entire Greater Fort Lauderdale region as a top destination for travelers (leisure and business), meetings and convention attendees, and sports groups. The “Everyone Under the Sun” campaign strategically provokes various audiences with impactful messaging through subjects and scenes that are unexpected.
The brand campaign features plenty of surprising twists to not only highlight how different Greater Fort Lauderdale is from other destinations, but to also invite everyone under the sun to enjoy its unmatched mix of one-of-a-kind offerings. The new campaign showcases accessible beaches, thrilling outdoor adventures, immersive nature encounters, shopping, in-pool meetings, dock and dine, pampering, romance, and memory-making experiences for everyone under the sun.
Likewise, the campaign execution itself encapsulated everything under the sun, with six full days of filming in eight different locations across Greater Fort Lauderdale and employing 34 crew members and a diverse group of talent – 87 people plus one dog and hundreds of butterflies. Ads start running this month through a strategic paid media plan including metrics for measurable ROI. Integrated marketing, publicity and social media will also introduce the evolved Greater Fort Lauderdale as one of the world’s most welcoming destinations.