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Stuart Elliott features Bahama Fridays campaign in Media Decoder
July 27, 2010 - 12:15 AM by admin
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is back with Version 2.0 of a popular campaign from last year centered on getting ready on Fridays for some weekend fun.
The new campaign, like last year’s, is by a New York agency named Phearcreative. And the goal remains the same, to encourage would-be travelers to book a trip to the Bahamas for a long weekend or quick getaway.
Last year’s theme, “Bahama Fridays,” is back, too, with some new wrinkles.
Last year, there were video clips about a make-believe company where the office manager promulgated a policy of “Bahama Fridays,” encouraging employees to live the island life style at work.
This year, real people will join the fakery as the office manager — a comedian, Michael Terry — invites unsuspecting visitors to the office, who believe they are interviewing for internships, to adopt a Bahamas point of view. Hidden cameras caught the (hoped-for) hilarity, which can be watched on a Web site and on YouTube.
“We recognized, early on, that consumers are more and more using technology,” Vernice Walkine, director general of the tourism ministry in Nassau, said in a phone interview, “and we want to reach them where they are.”
There are also social media elements to the campaign, like a presence on Facebook, as well as live events.
Also new for this year is a “free getaway” offer, through Sept. 30, involving free accommodations on Friday nights for trips with minimum four-night stays. Details can be found on a section of the Bahamas Web site.
