OCEAN CITY – Resort officials this week were given a first look at a rebranding campaign, which will be launched ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
On Wednesday, representatives with BVK, the resort’s advertising firm, presented members of the Ocean City Tourism Commission with a preview of activation events that will promote the town’s new brand, Somewhere To Smile About.
Tourism and Business Development Director Tom Perlozzo said while the campaign will be formally announced at a summer kickoff event May 3, commission members would receive a preview of BVK’s pre-season brand activation.
“We’re really excited about this,” he said. “It’s something different we’ve not done in the past.”
In December 2021, the Mayor and Council confirmed BVK Advertising as the successful bidder in a months-long process to find a new firm after 10 years, and the company hit the ground running. Since then, BVK has been working with the town’s tourism and marketing departments and private-sector stakeholders on efforts to rebrand Ocean City and develop strategies on how to retain its current visitors and attract new ones.
In November, BVK rolled out the town’s new slogan, Somewhere To Smile About, as well as a smile logo reminiscent of the popular smiley face icon of the 1970s. Ocean City Marketing and Communications Director Jessica Waters told commission members this week the advertising firm is now working on a campaign to promote Ocean City’s rebranding efforts ahead of the summer season.
“When we went into the new agency, and hiring a new agency, what made BVK stand apart from some of the other agencies we interviewed was their ability to brand a destination and how they would bring the brand to life in primary markets,” she explained. “What we tasked them with – this spring especially, since we are launching our brand – is how are we going to introduce Somewhere To Smile About outside of just traditional advertisements. That’s this brand experience you are going to see.”
She continued, “We feel excited about it. I don’t think we’ve done anything quite like it before. And from a public relations standpoint, I think the reach we are going to get, the exposure we’re going to get, from this experience will go well beyond what we have ever seen leading into this season.”
During this week’s presentation, BVK’s Victoria Simmons said plans for a brand launch celebration will augment the town’s summer media plan.
“What we’re going to talking about today is a brand activation that’s going to augment the media plan in some of our core feeder markets,” she said. “Right as we launch the new identity, the new brand strategy, the new creative, we really want to think of ways to interact directly with our travelers. That is exactly what this promotion is intended to do.”
Lauren Murray, director of brand experience for BVK, said the advertising firm will promote the town’s new brand in the days leading up to Memorial Day weekend. Its newest campaign, Catch A Ride, will launch May 26, on National Road Trip Day.
“This spring, we are excited to launch Ocean City’s new brand platform, Somewhere To Smile About, in support of the destination,” she said. “We’ve designed a brand activation that highlights all the reasons to pack up the family and hit the road for the ultimate summer trip.”
Murray said BVK will visit three feeder markets – Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Baltimore – on May 26 for a pop-up event that will feature 1968 Volkswagen buses, customized with the Ocean City logo, games, and on-site giveaways.
Pop-up participants will also have an opportunity to win road trip kits – complete with snacks and items from Ocean City – or a three-night, all-expenses-paid vacation in Ocean City. Those grand prize winners, Murray said, will have access to the 1968 Volkswagen bus.
“That includes our beach van concierge …,” she explained. “There will be a dedicated driver that will get travelers to and from their destination.”
Officials say the Catch A Ride campaign will be promoted through social media influencers and paid media in the weeks leading up to the event.
The town will also formally announce the campaign at a summer kickoff event scheduled for May 3.
“Our goal, very specific to Ocean City, was to drive brand awareness of your new campaign and your destination offerings to begin to enhance the perception of Ocean City among our target audience,” Murray said.
Officials noted that the goal of the Catch A Ride campaign is to inform potential visitors that Ocean City is a road trip away.
“We have our new campaign, Somewhere To Smile About, we have our new look and feel, so we really want to take the opportunity to maximize our effectiveness and reach with a brand experience that goes into our key feeder markets …,” Murray said. “We’re going to use National Road Trip Day to really get people excited and start to understand Ocean City is a drive for them. They can go to Somewhere To Smile About easily and have an experience that is really focused on fun, family, and carefree.”
