THE CHALLENGE
The City of Miami Beach sought to develop a new “brand” image that would reinforce the world-class offerings and opportunities available for those who live, work and play on its billion-dollar sandbar as well as help counter the misconception that Miami Beach and Miami are one in the same. After responding to the City’s RFP for a public relations and marketing firm, The Murry Agency along with our advertising agency partner were selected by City staff and a volunteer selection committee based on the strength of our creative ideas, media contacts and client service to execute a multi-layered destination-oriented campaign around the tagline: “Miami Beach 25/7 – so much to do, you’ll need the extra hour.”
PUBLIC RELATIONS and MARKETING STRATEGIES & TACTICS
TMA helped develop a series of creative, almost irreverent, double-entendre message points that communicated the City’s tourism highlights, residential benefits and business opportunities, while supporting the main 25/7 theme.
- “Don’t Let the Skinny Models Fool You. There’s plenty to eat in Miami Beach” spoke to the five-star dining establishments proliferating throughout the city.
- “Big Fish Swim Here” addressed positive corporate climate in Miami Beach for both large, multi-nationals as well as start-up entrepreneurs.
- “Shop for in a Bikini” referenced the incomparable shopping along the Beach’s retail meccas of Lincoln Road, Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue.
- “It’s 72 Degrees in Miami Beach this Summer* *(average temperature inside our world-class museums, galleries and theaters)” spoke to culture vultures.
- “Residents With Perks” addressed the many attributes of those lucky enough to call Miami Beach home. The campaign debuted during Super Bowl XLI in order to (1) maximize media coverage from the hordes of journalists who set up camp at the Miami Beach Convention Center and (2) attract the attention of the many celebrities who were in town. Key highlights of the Super Bowl roll-out were a 25/7 Media Spa, where journalists could enjoy a complimentary massage and receive 25/7 branded merchandise, press materials and “sidebar” story ideas, as well as a gifting suite at the Style Villa where VIPs, athletes and celebrities posed for pics with 25/7 branded merchandise that later made great publicity shots for post-event PR. Later in the year, during the summer, 25/7 reached out to the gay and lesbian community by participating in a three-month long promotion on Fire Island, culminating at Ascension, a huge fundraiser weekend; by sponsoring the New York Parks Foundation’s SummerStage program of concerts and cultural presentations; and by declaring “Fan Day,” where models dressed in logo t-shirts visited live television audiences outside The Today Show and Good Morning America, as well as Manhattan museums and galleries to distribute paper hand-fans printed with cultural marketing messages.
THE RESULTS
Combined consumer impressions for the first eight months of the public relations campaign reached more than 622 million consumers.- Logo merchandise – including branded energy drinks, sunscreen spray pens, t-shirts, backpacks, fans, golf towels, and paddle ball sets – proved so popular with consumers that the City considered adding an e-commerce component to the 25/7 website.