• by Aaron Baar , December 15, 2008

Even in tough economic times, people need to smile. So the Orlando/Orange County (Fla.) Convention and Visitors Bureau is trying to help with a new brand and promotional campaign that puts the happiness right in the tagline, "Orlando makes me smile."

"[Orlando] is truly someplace where you see people of all ages having fun," Danielle Courtenay, chief marketing officer of the CVB, tells Marketing Daily. "We feel that the most "Orlando" response of all is a smile. We think it captures everything that Orlando is about in a simple way that everyone can relate to."

The campaign will be making its debut during Boston's First Night New Year's celebration, and during syndicated coverage of the Citrus Bowl parade, Courtenay says. "[Boston] is the biggest first night celebration in the country," she says. "Seeing as this campaign is [targeted] directly toward families, and Boston is one of our key markets, we felt it was a good fit."

One print ad shows a mother and father kissing a smiling baby, with arrows pointing to the edges of the child's smile and the words "mom" and "dad" for the reasons. "Family time. It's one of Orlando's most popular attractions," reads copy. Another shows a tween girl. One side of her smile is attributed to attractions at Universal Studios and Disney World theme parks. The other is "spa day with mom." "The perfect blend of world-class resorts and out-of-this world excitement," reads the copy. The ads were created by Push in Orlando.

In addition to the brand campaign--which will run with print and online components through co-op arrangements with CVB members--the group organized a promotional effort called "Bundles of Free Smiles," through which vacationers can find discounts and free offers from all over the Orlando area (such as "kids stay free" offers at hotels), Courtenay says.

The promotional effort is a nod to a trying economy, when people are expected to curtail or cut their vacation plans, Courtenay says. "We knew that just going out with a branding campaign was not going to be strong enough in this economy," she says. "We had to dial up the value message. We knew that people were going to be looking for a break."

Although it is home to Disney World, Universal, Sea World and other theme parks, marketing is still an important part of keeping Orlando's tourism economy thriving, Courtenay says. "Even though we had close to 49 million visitors last year, we want people to come back," she says. "There's always something new and always a reason to come back; we never want to take for granted that people will come back."