Walton preparing another beach ad campaign (VIDEO)

MIRAMAR BEACH — The Southeast is about to get another marketing blitz encouraging residents to visit the still beautiful beaches of Northwest Florida.

The Walton County Tourist Development Council received its second $1.35 million check last week from BP to spend on promoting the area to potential tourists. Like the first $1.35 million that was received in late May, the money must be spent within 45 days.

Walton County’s latest marketing push was finalized at an emergency meeting Thursday and will focus heavily on television and radio ads in the Atlanta, Birmingham, Baltimore, Houston and Nashville areas. The TDC will also proceed with a six-week social media campaign, as well as a print campaign and public relations work.

“We’re excited to continue to execute the contingency strategies we have through the governor’s office and BP,” said Dawn Moliterno, executive director of the Walton County TDC. “We’re just going to continue to be strategic and come up with ideas that can be presented to our board for consideration.”

The total $2.7 million is part of the $25 million BP gave the state in May to combat the effects of the oil spill on tourism.

Each week, the TDC will change out its TV spots, which will focus on experiences people can do in addition to going to the beach.

Moliterno said the TDC will likely have a workshop in the near future to discuss other ways to bring tourists to the area. The Walton County TDC has decided it is not going to follow Okaloosa County’s footsteps in offering a free beach concert at this time.

“We are not comfortable yet in feeling the investment will warrant the return, so we’re going to continue to explore additional ideas and come back with future recommendations,” Moliterno said.

TDC TAPS INTO STAR POWER

During a visit to Seaside in Beaches of South Walton, Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton filmed a public service announcement calling on travelers to “be part of the solution,” by continuing to visit their favorite Gulf destinations.

The video message, which can be viewed on waltonsun.com, is part of a larger effort by Beaches of South Walton and neighboring destinations to motivate travelers to continue booking their vacations with confidence.

“I’m asked all the time what people can do to help communities like ours,” said Dawn Moliterno, executive director of the Beaches of South Walton Tourist Development Council.  “My message is similar to Coach Payton’s: Keep traveling. Let our communities showcase not only our beaches, which remain open for enjoyment, but also the many ‘beyond the beach’ activities that keep travelers coming back year after year.”

Coach Payton’s “Be Part of the Solution” message fits seamlessly with the “Be Beaches of South Walton” national advertising campaign, which launched earlier this month. The campaign invites visitors to, among other things, “Be Adventurous, Be Romantic and Be Entertained” by taking advantage of all the activities that the region has to offer. Visitors are here enjoying art classes, live performances, relaxing spa getaways, shopping, world-class restaurants, nature tours, playing golf, tennis and much more.

To keep visitors informed about beach conditions, Beaches of South Walton continues to post daily updates and images of the status of its coastline on www.BSWUpdate.com.