Duck Tours

THE CHALLENGE

Miami is all it's "quacked" up to be now that the Duck Tours have nested in South Florida. The unconventional amphibious tour has tourists going "quackers" in vacationer hot spots like Branson, Boston, San Diego, Seattle, London and Singapore, but was conspicuously absent in South Florida. Four transplanted New Englanders sought to bring Duck Tours to the area, but lacked the marketing savvy and local contacts to make the venture truly fly. So Duck Tours turned to TMA as its public relations agency partner to get things rolling.

PUBLIC RELATIONS and MARKETING STRATEGIES & TACTICS

• Media Relations – developed a comprehensive press kit package of releases and photos about the arrival of the Miami Duck Tours and pitched the story locally to residents and nationally to travel and tourism reporters.
• Relationship Marketing – introduced the Duck Tours partners to influential professionals throughout Miami-Dade County who could either partner or otherwise bolster the arrival of the tour operation to Miami.
• Community Relations – held experiential VIP pre-launch tours for various civic and tourism organizations throughout the county.
• Community Relations – one-on-one outreach programs to key influencers such as the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and Chambers of Commerce.
• Radio Promotions – conducted in-studio and on-site radio interviews and listener call-in contests to giveaway free tickets and Duck Tours prize packs on top rated stations from Key West to West Palm Beach.
• Special Event – a gala VIP and media reception to officially "launch" the Duck Tours into service.

THE RESULTS

• Dozens of print and broadcast editorial stories ran prior to the Labor Day launch of the Miami Duck Tours, including features on CNN, "Deco Drive," NBC6, The Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Ocean Drive, Univision, Telemundo, and travel/tourism magazines from around the world.
• Partnerships with other tourism destinations and hotels yielded valuable cross-promotion opportunities for widening ticket sales.
• Partnerships with Miami-area civic groups and organizations paved the way for making Miami "Duck Tours a destination institution in South Florida.
• Key civic and media VIPs attended the official launch event which was officiated by Miami Beach City Commissioner Simon Cruz and GMCVB Director of Protocol George Neary.