Back to Work

This is how you capture a moment. And all-new audiences.

Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau was ready for a comeback after all the pandemic-related challenges. So, we spread the word that it was time to get back to Monterey County. (Safely, of course.) “Now is the Moment” was the call. And people answered. Just ask the markets where “likelihood to visit” tripled.

Focusing On The Now

Building on the brand’s tagline (“Grab Life by the Moments”), we launched a new marketing campaign: “Now is the Moment.” We wanted to add a sense of urgency to people’s sense of adventure. We transported people to the destination in video (thanks to some cool camera tricks) and used other executions—including targeted social media marketing—to focus on the moments people had been missing.

Big Moments Bring Big Results

  • “Now is the Moment” creative tested in the top 10% of all the ads SMARInsights has ever tested. Ever
  • Monterey’s brand awareness moved from the bottom of their competitive set to the top
  • “Likelihood to visit” metrics skyrocketed, doubling and even tripling in some markets

Continuing The Story

We added a new layer to the campaign with a content series: “Pro v Pro.” The series was designed to build excitement for the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach and to position Monterey as a world-class destination—for golf and beyond. Each episode pairs two women together (a pro golfer and a professional in an entirely different field) to share their stories and find a little inspiration around Monterey. A cutdown of the first episode will air during the actual broadcast of the US Women’s Open.