Destination Sunday: Why One Big Campaign Will Not Put You on the Map
The Flip Side of Destination Marketing: Consistency Beats Splash Every Time
The Myth
Tourism boards, mayors, and DMOs all love the same myth: “Run one big campaign and the world will notice.”
Glossy ads, influencer trips, a billboard or two — done.
If only it worked that way.
The Pain
Big campaigns feel like growth. In reality, they’re churn.
Spend $100,000 on an influencer blitz or ad buy and you might get a spike in bookings. Six weeks later? You’re invisible again.
That’s $1,900 a day. By week seven, you’re basically setting cash on fire.
Worse: you train your board to celebrate sparks instead of build fires.
Big campaigns don’t build brands. They buy you a hangover.
The Flip Side (Upside Math)
Now flip it.
Take that same $100,000 and spread it into a weekly content engine:
If it generates 200 extra bookings a year at $200 a night, that’s $40,000 in new revenue.
Keep it running for five years? You’ve built a million-dollar asset.
And unlike fireworks, it doesn’t vanish when the party’s over.
Consistency compounds. Every story, every tradition, every repeatable series stacks on the last.
Proof: Campaigns That Proved Consistency Works
Louisville, Kentucky — Bourbon, Festivals, and $4.4B
Louisville built its brand around bourbon, food, and heritage, reinforced by festivals and year-round digital storytelling.
$4.4 billion in tourism economic impact (2024).
Daily visitor spend up 62%: $293 → $476 (2019–2024).
Campaigns included bourbon trail programming, heritage attractions, and seasonal events that ran all year — not just once.
(GoToLouisville, Simpleview)
Stornara, Italy — Murals to Millions
In 2018, Stornara launched Stramurales, a mural festival with just six paintings. Instead of a one-off, it became an annual tradition.
Now over 140 murals by 2025.
Tourism revenue up 25% since 2020.
Campaign focus: invite international artists, involve locals in themes, and create shareable street art that visitors keep returning for.
(NY Post, AS)
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin — The Village That Never Slows Down
Population ~1,000. Elkhart Lake created a 12-month calendar of food and wine weekends, wellness retreats, and motorsports events.
Result: 38% increase in overnight stays over five years.
Campaign focus: repeatable seasonal programming that positioned Elkhart Lake as “the little village that never slows down.”
(Travel Wisconsin)
Julia Creek, Australia — A Festival That Shows the Flip Side
Population ~550. The Dirt N Dust Festival brought in over 2,000 visitors and injected A$1.5 million into the local economy.
Proof that one big event can deliver a spike — but also a warning.
Imagine spreading that A$1.5M impact over 52 smaller, consistent events or campaigns. The result? Less burnout, more sustainable growth, and ongoing local pride.
(Courier Mail)
👉 Whether it’s bourbon in Kentucky, murals in Italy, seasonal programming in Wisconsin, or even a rural festival in Australia — the proof is clear: consistency creates staying power.
A Simple AI Play (With Deliverable)
Spend 15 minutes once, and you can lock in your next 90 days of content:
Pull your last year of campaigns, ads, and social posts.
Drop them into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini using this prompt:
Act as both a destination marketing strategist and a traveler. Review these campaign assets. Provide a table with four columns:
1. Theme – recurring topics that had engagement beyond week one.
2. Emotional Hook – words/phrases that landed emotionally.
3. Series Idea – a repeatable weekly/monthly content series.
4. Suggested Cadence – frequency that keeps momentum without fatigue.
Plus: explain how each idea helps differentiate our destination.
Sample Output Table
Now you’ve got a quarter’s worth of consistent themes. No blank-page panic. No one-hit stunts.
Why It Works
Algorithms reward regularity.
Travelers remember themes, not flashes.
Locals invest when they see ongoing traditions.
Boards stop asking “what’s next?” and start seeing compounding results.
Campaigns fizzle, consistency compounds.
Your Move
Want sparks? Burn money on fireworks.
Want growth that stacks? Build the campfire now.
Every week you delay, you’re spending sparks instead of stacking stories.