THE BEST TOURISM MARKETING IN THE STATE – AGAIN

by John Underwood

Once again, Tinsley Advertising dominated the Annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Held in Tampa, Florida on Thursday, November 19, 2020, the Agency walked away with five (5) Flagler Awards for our creative work produced in 2019 (pre-Covid advertising efforts) for The Florida Keys & Key West. The multiple awards won were more than any other DMO or tourism-related business received in the state.

The Flagler awards included three (3) Henrys (the top honor) for our thirty-second “Twisted” television spot promoting direct flights to the destination, a print campaign promoting the variety of fishing in the Florida Keys & Key West and for our out-of-home taxi promotion in the UK. The agency also took home two (2) more Flagler awards in the Local Marketing and Direct Marketing categories.

The annual Flagler Awards are named after developer and railroad pioneer Henry Flagler and were established by Visit Florida in 2000 to recognize excellence in the Florida tourism marketing industry. To date, no agency has won more awards for a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) than Tinsley.

We continue to be thankful for our long-standing partnership with the Monroe County Tourist Development Council that has allowed us to create award-winning work that has been extremely successful for this remarkable travel destination.

Lose Your Baggage in The Florida Keys

By Dorn Martell

It really stinks to lose your luggage, but who doesn’t have some baggage they’d like to get rid of? That’s the theme of our new accommodations spot for The Florida Keys and Key West. The shoot covered the entire destination of Monroe County and included every type of accommodation imaginable. Whether you want to live large in a grand resort or camp out by the ocean, The Keys have something for everyone. But what you’ll find throughout The Keys is what you need most… a place to chill out and let the real world run itself for awhile.

New spot for Weddings and Honeymoons in the Florida Keys

By Dorn Martell

“The most important promise” is the name of our latest spot for the Florida Keys and Key West. We featured wedding venues from Key Largo to Key West that included lavish resort style weddings, intimate gatherings with a few friends on the pier and even a group of intrepid revelers gathered on a tiny island. The beautiful thing about romance in the Keys is that it is a place where you can fall in love, get engaged, get married, honeymoon or even renew your vows. So the Florida Keys become a life-long focal point for your relationship and the promise to return is the most important promise you’ll ever make to each other.

Tinsley is honored by the Key West Business Guild

By Dorn Martell

Tinsley Advertising was honored Wednesday at the Key West Business Guild luncheon with a beautiful statuette. I was lucky to attend and it was great to see so many friends and to feel the excitement as Key West Pride 2012 kicks off. We’ve been so fortunate to have The Monroe County Tourist Development Council (“The Florida Keys & Key West”) and the LGBT community as clients for so many years and have won more awards for this target than any other in the agency’s history.

A heartfelt thanks goes out to Harold Wheeler, Monroe County TDC Director; George Fernandez, Monroe County TDC; Jon Allen, Key West District Advisory Chairman; Rebecca Tomlinson, Executive Director of the Key West Business Guild; Steve Smith, Outreach Director of the Key West Business Guild; Darren Paugh, President of the Key West Business Guild and all the members of both the Key West Business Guild & the Key West District Advisory Committee.

We love working for you all and look forward to creating great marketing for Key West for years to come.

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New Television Spots for the Florida Keys & Key West

By Dorn Martell

Our first new spot, launched this winter, for Key West is all about art. And not the kind of art that’s all about matching a suburban couch. It’s the kind of art that makes you think, makes you feel and definitely gets your attention. In Key West we find that art and life are wonderfully intermingled and that everyone here is part of a massive performance piece.

Our new spot, “Island Made of Art”, is part of a 7 spot package that was shot over several months in 2011. Capturing the beauty and unique environments of the Florida Keys – from the Everglades to the Dry Tortugas – One World Productions and our team shot from ultralights, underwater, from sea planes, power boats, canoes and waist deep in mangroves. We met some very knowledgable and dedicated folks, as well as some truly strange people. But it was all an amazing adventure and we couldn’t be happier with the final product. The music was created by Audacity Recording in Hollywood, FL. Editorial & finishing by I Think Studios.

The results of this shoot are some of the most inspiring images we’ve ever captured. Stay tuned for more new spots over the coming weeks.

Tinsley and The Florida Keys & Key West Recognized for Outstanding Tourism Marketing

By Dorn Martell

We wouldn’t be lying if we said Henry Flagler hangs around our office. In fact we have a whole wall of “Henrys” and are pleased to announce that we just added three more to our collection.

Named for Henry Flagler, the Flagler Awards were established in 2000 to recognize outstanding tourism marketing in Florida and we are fortunate to have won every year since. In this year’s competition, we were finalists in four categories and won the top honor in three.

We won a Henry in the category of Resource/Promotional Material Consumer for our fabulous new LGBT Brochure, which compliments our Best of Show win at the Addys for our Gay and Lesbian marketing.

Our New York Transit poster campaign also won a Henry in the Out-Of-Home category for these memorable pieces: “You’re not a sardine, get out of this tin can”,
“Please step to the end of the line” and “Call in and say you caught something”.

For Print Advertising we won a Henry for these ads:
(For our fishermen) “Big eyes, full lips, drives men crazy. Angelina is that you?”
and “More fans than all of Facebook” (promoting our amazing reefs).

We also won Silver for our Direct Marketing pieces: “The Earth is your Recreational Vehicle”, and “There’s nothing like the end of the road to turn you around.”

We thank the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and its Director Harold Wheeler, for being great clients and allowing us to do the best tourism advertising around.

We’d also like to thank old Henry Flagler for building the railroad that connected the Keys to mainland America and brought paradise a little closer to home.

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Tinsley Selected as Agency of Record by The Florida Keys & Key West. Again!

By Dorn Martell

26 years ago, Crockett and Tubbs were prowling the streets of Miami in a Ferrari. Ronald Reagan was urging Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. Parachute pants were the rage and Tinsley Advertising was celebrating a new account win: The Florida Keys & Key West.

Now, the only thing remaining from that indelible period in time is our relationship with The Florida Keys.

Last week, Monroe County’s Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve Tinsley Advertising as the Agency of Record for The Florida Keys & Key West, again. This follows a similar vote by the Tourist Development Council who reviewed a total of five Agencies.

“Tinsley showed a level of understanding of The Keys and a breadth of work that the other agencies didn’t come close to,” said Rita Irwin, Chairman of the Monroe County TDC.

The 50-minute presentation included everything from an innovative “Station Domination” program for New York commuters to behavioral and contextual marketing on Pandora and Facebook. We also proposed a voluntourism campaign that will encourage visitors to donate a small portion of their vacation to help Florida Keys causes. And of course, we showed some cool new TV concepts for Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine and the Lower Keys, as well as, new water sports and art spots for Key West.

Our 26-year relationship with The Keys has allowed us to do some of the best work in the travel and tourism industry. We have been honored by The Travel Industry of America, Visit Florida’s Flagler Awards, and the Addys, where The Keys won 30 awards in 2011 including “Best of Show.”

We are so happy to have such a wonderful client as The Florida Keys & Key West. It is a partnership that continues to produce great work and the highest daily room rate in the state.

Thank you Monroe County from everyone at Tinsley!

New 2011 TV Spots for Key West

by Dorn Martell

We are pleased to announce the launch of a three spot package for Key West. The first commercial “Close to Perfect” highlights the unique attractions, water activities and music scene in Key West. The second spot “Basics” showcases Key West’s amazing cuisine and accommodations in a tropical island setting. And the third “Out Before It Was In” is a groundbreaking spot that targets gay, lesbian, bi and transgender travelers. This package of commercials is designed to showcase the natural beauty of Key West, its man made treasures and its spirit of diversity and inclusion. Our theme line “Close to Perfect. Far from Normal” highlights the fact that this ain’t Kansas, Toto. The spots were created in collaboration with One World Productions and Audacity Recording. “These spots are not only beautiful and effective, they show how the fourth penny of the tourist tax allows us to produce quality television for Key West.” said Jon Allen, DAC 1 (Key West) Chairman.

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The Florida Keys & Key West remains “Unaffected”

by Uly Busch

The Florida Keys and Key West has launched a new TV spot aimed at allaying visitors concerns about the oil spill in the Gulf. The spot was created by Tinsley Advertising in Miami and shows the clear, pristine waters and laid-back atmosphere the Keys are famous for. The copy shows us the two definitions of the word “Unaffected”; 1. Not changed or modified and 2. Genuine or unpretentious. Both definitions are perfect descriptions of the Keys. Then the voice over tells us “No matter what goes on in the rest of the world the Keys will always be unaffected”. The message is clear; nothing can change the sincere, unpretentious nature of The Florida Keys and Key West. That’s the biggest reason this quirky destination has been attracting vacationers for years and will continue to do so forever.

Smooth Sailing in a Rough Travel Market

by John Underwood

The Florida Keys & Key West continue to see occupancy rate increases despite the tough times in the current travel market. According to Smith Travel Research, The Keys have seen a boost in occupancy rates for 2009 at 70.3%. In fact, the destination was the only Florida travel market to show an increase for the year. The Keys also had the highest average daily rate in the state ($171.51) and the highest RevPar (revenue per available room). This is great news for both Tinsley Advertising and The Florida Keys & Key West. A desirable destination, a true partnership and unique & innovative marketing make a great mix for a successful tourism campaign. One that has won numerous awards and that we are proud to represent. See Smith Travel Research stats below:

 

Top Occupancy Occ 2009
Florida Keys 70.3
Miami-Hialeah, FL 65.2
Fort Lauderdale, FL 63.4
Orlando, FL 60.7
Top ADR ADR 2009
Florida Keys 171.51
Miami-Hialeah, FL 140.73
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL 127.81
Fort Myers, FL 123.96