• by Danielle Oster , April 23, 2025

 

The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (TDTD) launched an inclusive “Sound  Sites” campaign to reach visually impaired travelers.

While most travelers rely on images when planning a trip, the visually impaired have to rely on text descriptions of such images to understand what to expect from a given destination. The problem is that these descriptions are often treated as an afterthought, leading to generic alt-text such as “beach scene graphic” -- which doesn’t really provide any useful description. That’s the example given in a behind-the-scenes video about the impetus and creation of the campaign, which was created in collaboration with agency VML.

 So the “Sound Sights” campaign deploys poetic lyrics from Tennessee songwriters to describe such scenes on the TNVacation.com website.

“We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to experience Tennessee’s unmatched beauty, including the millions who travel with visual impairments,” TDTD Commissioner Mark Ezell said in a statement. “Tennessee’s deep musical roots make this campaign a natural fit, and we’re proud to champion travel experiences that embrace everyone. This is just the beginning of a meaningful, ongoing effort to connect people to the beauty of our great state.”

To bring the concept to life, TDTD and VML teamed up with a dozen different Tennessee songwriters, including Dolly Parton and Billy Montana, an award-winning Tennessee-based songwriter known for writing hits recorded by Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw and. JP Williams, a blind singer-songwriter, brought his own experience and perspective to the project.

The process resulted in “hundreds of songs,” according to the behind-the-scenes video, and alt-text descriptions with emotional resonance.

“Agencies, brands, and everyone on creative teams have the potential to add layers of creativity to the work through accessibility, but it's often simply forgotten. This is a rallying cry for the industry to think about accessibility creatively. Every component of a campaign, its wording and images are meticulously curated to be as compelling and action-oriented as possible,” VML Global Head of Inclusive Design Josh Loebner said in a statement. “We have an opportunity to welcome millions of people who, quite honestly, have been forgotten by many brands when it comes to potential buying power, brand loyalty and value.”

 

 

 

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