What it had to solve
Revise the 'Virgin Islands Nice' campaign to show visitors Virgin Islanders' lifestyle and the cultural experiences on offer.
The idea
Make the tourism ads with the islanders themselves: local crew, props, sound and a local artist's voice, shot following real people for three weeks.
How it works
JWT, which handled creative, worked with Virgin Islands production company FilmVI, spending more than 80 percent of the development budget in the territory and hiring more than 100 on-island talent and crew. Production used natural light and followed local talent for three weeks to capture genuine responses, with Virgin Islands artist 'Pressure Busspipe' voicing the TV anthems. The work covers three TV spots, 16 digital videos and more than 10 print ads.
What it did
The source records no tourism or sales results. Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty said the ads go deeper into showing the destination's authenticity, and the local co-director Dwight Winston called the selection a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Background
On 3 August 2017 the United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism debuted 'Real Nice', a new phase of its 'Virgin Islands Nice' campaign. Its agency of record, J. Walter Thompson, handled creative design and partnered with local company FilmVI.
The campaign gave visitors an insight into Virgin Islanders' lifestyle, with food, culture, people and natural beauty. More than 80 percent of the development budget was spent in the territory, producing work for more than 100 local talent and crew plus wardrobe, props and equipment. All lighting was natural and the crew followed local talent for three weeks. The output was three TV spots ('State of Mind', 'Live How We Live', 'Free To Explore'), 16 digital videos and more than 10 print ads, with local artist Pressure Busspipe's voice-over and music.
Why it lands
A territory's own people and crew are the most credible proof of a 'real' destination.
More than 80 percent of the development budget was spent in the territory.
The commissioner said 'real nice' is, to a Virgin Islander, more than a phrase: it is a feeling of positivity.
What you can take
Spending the production budget inside the destination turns authenticity from a claim in the copy into a fact about how the ad was made.
Since then
The LBB report, which carries the launch announcement, gives no results for the campaign.
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