• by Amy Corr  @MediaPostOTL, June 3, 2021

With an uptick in travel and tourism on the horizon, Explore Branson, the tourism board for Branson, MO, located in the Ozark Mountains, tapped Texas-based Proof Advertising as its creative agency of record.

Proof was awarded the account following a review that began with 19 agencies. Cultivator, Denver, previously handled the account for six years.

The win marks the first tourism account handled by Proof that’s not based in Texas.
Bryan Christian, President of Proof, said the agency was looking to expand its tourism clientele outside of the Lone Star state. The agency currently works with Travel Texas and previously raised the profiles of San Antonio, Austin and Bastrop.

“We are always on the lookout for brands that are not competitive conflicts in the travel category and are actively pursuing growth in the category across lodging, international destinations, rental car, airlines and the cruise category,” he said.

Explore Branson is under new leadership, with the arrival of Jason Outman as CEO of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau. He previously served as Executive Director of Experience for Columbia, SC.

The board was looking for a fresh approach to introducing Branson to prospective first-time visitors as well as repeat visitors.

 "Proof understands that music and entertainment are the major drivers of the Branson tourism community,” said Rachel Wood, Chief Marketing Officer for Explore Branson. “Proof’s track record of working with destinations that are music-driven elevated them over the competition.”

Under the partnership, Proof will create an integrated campaign to launch in 2022 to showcase the uniqueness of the entertainment destination. 

Branson is home to approximately 11,000 permanent residents and saw an estimated 9.1 million visitors in 2019.