Robert Silk
In its official 2015-16
marketing plan, Visit Florida took note of a survey that showed that travelers
in the all-important millennial generation are less interested in vacationing
in the Sunshine State than their Gen X and baby boomer counterparts.
The survey results, the
marketing plan says, “may indicate a need for a new Florida approach for that
market.” Now we know what at least a portion of that approach will
be.
Last week, Visit Florida announced that is has entered
into a partnership with the chart-topping rapper Pitbull. Under the deal, the
34-year-old Miami native, whose given name is Armando Christian Perez, will
feature Visit Florida's #LoveFL hashtag on video screens at his concerts as
well as on his New Year's Eve special from Miami on Fox. Pitbull will also film
the video for his single “Sexy Beaches” exclusively on Florida sands.
“Aligning our two brands not only allows us to have a
Florida ambassador who can help tell the authentic story of the state’s diverse
travel experiences but provides us a platform to reach a new generation of
travelers through his global fan base,” Visit Florida Chief Marketing Officer
Paul Phipps said of the deal in a statement.
Though Visit Florida's decision to partner with Pitbull
won't be uniformly popular, it makes lots of sense, said Lori Pennington-Gray,
a professor in the University of Florida's Tourism, Recreation & Sports
Management program.
Pitbull will feature Visit Florida's #LoveFL hashtag on video screens at his concerts and will film a video on Florida beaches.
“There's been a lot of attention to the baby boom market,”
she said. “But if we ignore these other segments we can't expect that as they
age they'll take the same interest that previous generations did.”
Indeed, despite Florida's enormous overall success in
drawing tourists, it still lacks a bit of cachet among millennials, who are
loosely defined as adults born in 1981 and after. Sure, there's the beaches,
the warm winters and South Beach. But while more millennials want to visit
Colorado and New York than any other age set, according to the 2014 Portrait of
American Travelers survey, precisely the opposite is the case for Florida.
That's an important challenge for Florida's tourism
promotion community, especially since studies show that millennials travel more
than Gen-Xers and boomers. Bringing more of those young adults into the fold,
said Visit Tampa Director Santiago Corrado, will require subtle marketing approaches
that cater to a tech-savvy audience that is deeply involved in social media.
“The way you sell to millennials
is very unique,” he explained. “You can't forcefully sell to them; they don't
like that. It's got to be about the mystery, the experience. It's almost got to
be them discovering you.”
Employing Pitbull, who has more
than 100 million social media followers, as a Florida ambassador, then having
him promote Visit Florida's social media at concerts, fits that approach perfectly,
according to Corrado.
“Look at his audience. Looks at
the music he produces. Look at the people he collaborates with. They're all of
this generation,” Corrado said. “It's very, very smart.”