#IHeartTally Marketing Campaign

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

In today’s advertising environment, consumers face more than 5,000 impressions every day, posing a significant challenge to local governments in reaching citizens with relevant promotional messages. To confront this challenge, the Leon County Division of Tourism Development launched the #IHeartTally marketing campaign in 2013, focusing on the “voices” of its customers and leveraging citizen input. The dedicated #IHeartTally webpage invites Leon County residents to “Share Your Stories.” Encouraging and sharing customer experiences provides more intimate and meaningful communication with general and targeted audiences within the area. The program empowers the customer and gives potential visitors first-hand insight into the destination, its offerings and amenities. Employing a hashtag for social media posts (#IHeartTally), the Division successfully relied on the influence of those that knew the destination best – its residents and visitors – in building a collective voice to share what people love about the area through texts, photos and videos showcasing their favorite experiences (a meal, nightlife, special events, concerts, attractions, beautiful scenery, etc.). This innovative marketing campaign not only engages residents as well as visitors, but perfectly aligns with Leon County’s dedication to fiscal stewardship. Utilizing user-generated content is extremely cost effective, yet provides high quality, high-impact marketing material.