• by Fern Siegel , June 21, 2022

Tampa Bay beckons.

A new campaign, Visit Tampa Bay is promoting the “Tampa Bay Effect.” In short, how the Florida city marries adventure to relaxation — creating a special vacation.

The integrated campaign is by Tampa Bay’s creative agency of record, FKQ Advertising + Marketing, which found Tampa Bay can be touted under its own banner, rather than leading with the state.

Some 25 million people visit Hillsborough County, on Florida’s Gulf Coast, each year. One of the campaign’s goals is to grow traveler diversity — multicultural, LGBTQ and accessibility — to the area.

The work runs this summer in Florida and Atlanta, as well as Hulu, contextual digital ads, gas station TV and ride-share car wraps. Outdoor ads will showcase attractions in English and Spanish.

Creative, which also launches at trade shows and specific international markets, encourages visitors with various tags: “Relax Boldly,” “Delight Effortlessly” and “Meet Vibrantly.”

The campaign showcases water activities, sunny skies and destinations, such as Busch Gardens, Tampa Museum of Arts, ZooTampa, kayaking and canoeing, new luxury hotels and world-class restaurants that helped launch the first Michelin Guide to Florida.

“Fueled by record-breaking visitation numbers, the growing interest in the destination and Tampa Bay’s visibility on a global scale, it was the right time to take our summer campaigns to the next level,” said Santiago C. Corrada, president-CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. “Everything we undertake is based on research and ROI.”

Tampa Bay's tourism industry, which took a hit in 2020 due to Covid, came back in 2021, with hotel revs surpassing $758 million — beating the 2019 record by $50 million, according to Visit Tampa Bay, the destination marketing organization for Tampa and Hillsborough County, STR Inc. Events like the Super Bowl helped to boost income.

FKQ serves as an agency of record for a variety of brands, including Bozzuto's Inc., Dollar Car Rental, Essilor, Food Bazaar Supermarkets, Hertz Car Rental, Melitta USA, PODS Moving and Storage and Valspar Championship.