Travel South Dakota’s summer campaign off to hot start

Summer travel is on the minds of many, including those who have seen Travel South Dakota’s newest iteration of “So Much South Dakota, So Little Time.” The campaign is seeing early success, having already generated an estimated $21.4 million in revenue through more than 97,200 hotel and flight bookings.

Launched in March 2024, the campaign has generated 82 million impressions, reaching more than 9.7 million individuals. Web traffic to TravelSouthDakota.com is up 53% since the campaign launch.

Travel South Dakota’s campaign seeks to remind prospective travelers of the joys that arise from letting go, following intuitions, and being spontaneous. This year’s creative direction taps into nostalgia in a place where travel is less complicated and more raw and transformational.

“People are attracted to South Dakota’s natural beauty, outdoor adventures, arts and culture, and the opportunity to experience the wonder and awe of authentic experiences,” said James Hagen, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism. “Staying in front of target audiences with our message reminds people of the great places that await them in South Dakota, and that there is so much more to experience and explore in our state than most realize.”

Launched in March and continuing through October 2024, the “So Much South Dakota, So Little Time” peak campaign will continue to increase brand awareness, change perception, and drive qualified traffic to the Travel South Dakota website. The length of the campaign has been extended through October to prepare for seasonal shifts, take advantage of key travel planning timing, and reduce shoulder season gaps.

As video performance for Travel South Dakota’s campaigns has been consistently excelling and this year’s plan focuses on video content in a variety of lengths. Creatively, the campaign includes never-before-seen footage from across the state. To relate to the different audiences, there are several storylines. A consumer may follow a friend group’s statewide adventure that goes from sailing in Yankton to a concert in Historic Deadwood; a family that goes from watching a rodeo to exploring the Children’s Museum of South Dakota in Brookings; or a couple that goes from fine dining in Sioux Falls to rock climbing in the Black Hills.

The campaign aims to garner more than 138 million impressions regionally and 80 million impressions nationally across a mix of paid media channels including TV, video, audio, print magazine, out-of-home, podcasts, display, and paid social. Also in the mix are podcast host reads coming from Atlas Obscura, Bobby Bones, Hannah Brown, Office Ladies, and others. The out-of-home efforts are focused in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Denver, Colorado. Also new this year, Kansas City, Missouri has been added to the list of key markets.

Based on recent research from Longwoods International, the “So Much South Dakota, So Little Time” campaign is resonating with potential visitors as 63% were aware of the advertising and reported it improved their overall perception of the state. After exposure to the campaign, consumers reported increasing their thoughts as the state being “an exciting place,” a “fun spot for a vacation,” and a “must-see destination.”

The “So Much South Dakota, So Little Time” peak campaign promises to restore the mystery in people’s lives and offer summer travelers a chance to escape and leave feeling transformed and fulfilled.

For more inspiration and travel planning resources, visit TravelSouthDakota.com.