TAMPA — The Monroe County Tourist Development Council garnered four top Florida tourism marketing awards conferred Thursday evening during a Flagler Awards ceremony in Tampa.
The event, postponed after the annual Florida Governor’s Conference on tourism was canceled in September due to COVID-19, was a scaled-down gathering with mandated social distancing and facial coverings for about 100 participants.
The TDC was awarded “Henrys” in the print advertising, television advertising and out-of-home categories and for public relations. A silver award was conferred on the TDC for mobile marketing and a bronze was awarded for direct marketing.
The statewide competition was judged independently of Visit Florida and evaluated work accomplished in 2019.
NewmanPR, Tinsley Advertising and Two Oceans Digital are the respective public relations, advertising and internet agencies for the TDC.
The print advertising award was won for Keys sportfishing ads. A campaign that featured Florida Keys-branded taxis plying the streets of London won the out-of-home division’s “Henry” and television advertising was for a Tinsley-produced ad focusing on direct flights to Key West International Airport.
The public relations “Henry” was for a “Connect and Protect” sustainability campaign.
“I am proud that the TDC’s commitment to the protection of our natural resources was recognized by our peers last night,” said TDC Marketing Director Stacey Mitchell. “The messaging in the multiple award-winning campaign focused on inviting our visitors to connect with our environment while being a part of the solution by protecting it for future generations.
“We understand the direction of sustainable tourism and have embraced this movement throughout all promotional efforts,” she added.
Named after Florida pioneer Henry Flagler, the Flagler Award program is an annual statewide competition recognizing outstanding Florida tourism marketing. It was created by Visit Florida to honor the individuals and organizations that help position Florida as one of the top travel destinations in the world.
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