Visit Florida Keys and Key West How Do You Channel the Unique Beat of The Florida Keys into a Winning Campaign Strategy?
For The Florida Keys & Key West, attracting today’s traveler required a strategy that evolved along with its audience. The destination’s visitor base isn’t just getting younger—it is increasingly wealthier and more diverse. At the same time, how people discover The Keys and how long they choose to stay are rapidly shifting. Addressing these changing visitor habits required a campaign that would inspire travelers to look beyond a single spot, explore deeper across the 125-mile island chain, and extend their trips.
Since music is an undeniable part of everyday life in The Keys—from live acoustic sets in Key Largo to street performers in world-famous Mallory Square in Key West—Starmark and Visit Florida Keys saw an opportunity to tap into this natural soundtrack and give travelers more reasons to stay longer and discover each Key’s unique rhythm.
The new campaign, Play in Your Own Key, leverages the musical wordplay of “Key” and aligns it with the unique geography of the tropical island chain.
Building the Foundation
The answer was not replacing the destination’s famous philosophy, but expanding on it. Built on a comprehensive North Star truth-finding exercise with local stakeholders, the strategy focuses on three key elements:
- A Unified Identity: Connecting a 125-mile island chain under one cohesive brand promise.
- Freedom of Exploration: Highlighting the ability to drive from island to island and design a personal adventure.
- A Melodic Voice: Celebrating the unique tempo, culture, and “come as you are” spirit that sings throughout the islands.
Transforming Research Into a Brand Promise
This foundational research solidified our core strategy and led to a brand promise:
The Florida Keys & Key West promise a colorful rhythm, a carefree state of mind and an authentic invitation to come as you are. America’s only tropical island chain you can drive to, each island offers a unique experience that proves nowhere else comes close.
To bring the campaign to life, Starmark developed a comprehensive creative system that includes:
- Strategic Alignment: Grounded in deep stakeholder insights across all key regions.
- Campaign Manifesto: Setting the stage for the harmonious journey and carefree state of mind.
- Visual Identity & Graphic Lockup: Featuring a custom lockup that uses the signature dotted islands as a visual anchor and nod to the geography.
- Multi-Channel Execution: Tailored to work across digital, print, outdoor, and social touchpoints.
The creative direction shown in the manifesto personifies the destination’s foundational philosophy, giving travelers a license to actively choose their own adventure.
A Harmonious Journey Toward Success
For The Florida Keys & Key West, the result is more than a new tagline. It’s a dynamic campaign identity that celebrates individuality and carves out a highly distinct space in the travel market. The team at Starmark is ready to move into the production phase of the campaign, so be on the lookout for more exciting updates.
Ready to Evolve Your Brand Experience?
Let’s talk about how Starmark helps travel and tourism brands turn authentic insights into powerful campaign identities that move people to act.
