Daytona 500. Rolex 24. Coke Zero 400. Widely acclaimed races call Daytona International Speedway home, and Daytona Beach’s racing history runs deep. But the World’s Most Famous Beach has so much to offer organizers of sporting events beyond motorsport.
Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitor Bureau teamed up with the destination organization’s B2B agency, Digital Edge, to create a sports campaign telling sports planners the story of the Florida locale’s unique venues for all kinds of sports — both traditional and unconventional pastimes — and different levels — both amateur and professional.
Spoiler alert: The moral of this story? ~Teamwork makes the dream work.~
Daytona Beach was already known for being a great host of annual sporting events, yet lacked awareness of all the sun-kissed destination’s nontraditional facilities for even the most niche sports — a key to being a welcoming community for all athletic competitions.
The Daytona Beach CVB needed to enhance the appeal of the destination’s sports facilities and product among key sports organizers and rights holders and differentiate Daytona Beach — venues like the Ocean Center, Daytona Beach’s more than 205,000-square-foot multipurpose facility just 400 feet from the Atlantic Ocean and historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Going beyond sports venues, the campaign also needed to strategically position Daytona Beach International Airport’s strong airlift and extensive activity opportunities pre- and post-game.
To increase the Daytona Beach brand to the key sports audience, Digital Edge’s seasoned and skilled team planned and executed a sports campaign featuring a creative concept and messaging.
The creative design incorporated the Daytona Beach CVB’s sports logo and purposefully distinguished the sports campaign from the meetings campaign while remaining true to the overall brand. Imagery played a starring role, showing athletes in action and competing in different sports arenas.
The messaging was developed to nod to the iconic racing history in Daytona Beach but extend beyond motorsports, signifying that a variety of successful sports events are held in the destination.
The campaign playbook was created to achieve the goal of positioning Daytona Beach as a top sports destination, incorporating multiple digital channels to ensure competitiveness and reach at each stage of the planning cycle.
The omnichannel sports campaign has allowed Daytona Beach to reach planners where they roam online and consume content the most.
By driving awareness of Daytona Beach’s sports venues, as well as the ease of getting to the destination and things to do before and after athletic events, the sports marketing has laid the groundwork for consideration and sourcing, adding an extra layer of support as the sports sales team continues to meet prospects in person across the country.