Total Eclipse Weekend: Columbia, SC
National Tourism Marketing Campaign | 2016 to 2017
Branding, integrated communications and marketing
When Columbia, S.C. was identified as a leading total eclipse viewing destination* for the first cross-continental total solar eclipse in 99 years, the S.C. State Museum galvanized regional officials and tourism experts to create a steering committee and a massive campaign to raise awareness of the region, not only for eclipse visitors, but to encourage year-round tourism as well. With Flock and Rally at the helm for creative services and integrated communications, the Total Eclipse Weekend Columbia, S.C. campaign was developed to reach travelers across the East Coast and beyond.
A massive campaign development effort commenced, encompassing the development of a new brand, website and social media profiles with original illustrations by artist Cait Maloney, the creation of multiple regional stakeholder and event host committees (and an internal communications campaign to manage these groups), the production and distribution of hundreds of thousands of branded, NASA- and AAS-certified eclipse viewing glasses, and the deployment of a national tourism marketing and communications campaign that resulted in more than 60 million estimated press coverage views. The region’s destination marketing organization, Experience Columbia SC, was a critical partner in media relations, advertising and the management of producing and distributing eclipse glasses, demand for which reached crisis levels as the eclipse date approached.
It is estimated that roughly 400,000 visitors traveled to and within the Columbia, S.C., region to view the total solar eclipse, and economic impact is estimated at $48 million for Richland County alone. South Carolina’s total economic impact was estimated at $269 million by the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, and attendance in the state was estimated at 1.6 million.
Among other honors, the Total Eclipse Weekend Columbia, SC campaign received the S.C. Public Relations Society of America’s 2018 Best in Show Mercury Award, and the campaign was recognized as a finalist by national tourism marketing entity U.S. Travel for its 2018 ESTO awards.
*Thinking about planning a campaign for the upcoming 2024 total solar eclipse over the United States? You are welcome to reference and share our full-length PowerPoint presentation, which we presented in October 2019 at the Public Relations Society of America’s international PRSA ICON conference. It’s full of details about how we developed and launched our region’s campaign over a two-year period leading up to the 2017 eclipse. Find our presentation here.
