keeping business afloat.
challenge
In June 2022, catastrophic flooding damaged Yellowstone National Park’s iconic entrance outside of Gardiner, MT, having a detrimental effect on the heart of the tourism economy in the park and surrounding ‘gateway communities.’ The Montana Office of Tourism promotes tourism and travel experiences within the state of Montana. They asked for our support with a campaign that would let the world know Yellowstone was open for business, educate travelers on other activities outside Yellowstone and showcase the resilience of this gateway community.
idea: get show biz to show we're back in biz.
approach
HY created a high-awareness plan to educate our identified audiences on the latest updates in the region during phase 1 of our execution. Tactics included: Weekly press releases with latest updates, a Radio Media Tour to answer questions about the flooding and a FAM Tour to show the Park experience and surrounding areas first-hand. Also, custom social content promoting travel to the regions around the Park and real-time updates. Finally, a PSA with the cast of Yellowstone to encourage travel.
highpoints
- During phase 2, we built onto the campaign, highlighting the offerings in communities immediately surrounding the Park to drive excitement and combat the narrative these communities were still closed.
- We partnered with Drew Barrymore and brought her to Montana to spotlight her visit to the two communities during interactive segments, which were featured on her television show, website and social channels.
results
- won two PRSA Paragon Awards, a PR Daily Content Marketing Award and an HSMAI Adrian Award
- generated over 860 million impressions
- hosted journalists from Thrillist, USA Today and Global Travel Magazine
- created 32 custom social posts
- Drew Barrymore content drove 6x more impressions and engagements per post than the show’s average
