• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, October 3, 2016

Here’s a big idea: Launch a Snapchat channel to promote tourism and center the launch on a free concert by a country music megastar. Tickets are obtained by using codes issued via the Snapchat account linked to the new channel. 

That’s what the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (TDTD) came up with in collaboration with its agency of record VML, part of WPP. 

The megastar is Garth Brooks who agreed to do the concert — set for Oct. 24 at the Ascend Amphitheatre in Nashville -- to commemorate his becoming the first recording artist in history to earn seven Diamond Certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). 

The concert was announced today when Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam also named Brooks a Tennessee Ambassador of Goodwill in honor of the RIAA achievement. Brooks had previously been tied with The Beatles, who have six Diamond-certified recordings.

The so-called “Thank You” performance will have an overflow viewing at Riverfront Park in downtown Nashville, where fans can watch the celebration live on giant video screens. 

Free tickets for the concert will be available using codes issued on TDTD’s new Snapchat account @Tennessee, which launched today. By following the account, fans can access the codes as well as exclusive Garth Brooks stories and surprise celebrity takeovers.