New York State is a gold mine of attractions, experiences and unique offerings that people from all over the world enjoy year after year. GLOW's objective was to leverage the popular I Love NY brand and its enormous presence on Facebook to engage existing fans and attract new ones, encourage more interaction and generate more peer-to-peer commentary and recommendations during 2014.
The ultimate goal was to showcase all that New York State has to offer in an organic, community-driven way to yield increases in travel and tourism. Through GLOW's efforts, the I Love NY Facebook page has built a reputation for producing a constant flow of creative, informative, and aesthetically pleasing content that builds year after year, resulting in a tangible increase in tourism to New York State and the page's status as the #2 most "liked" state tourism page in the U.S., with over 1.3 million fans and counting!
For I Love NY's Facebook presence, the objective was to create a robust hub to increase consumer awareness of destinations, events and experiences across all of New York State, inspiring travel to regions beyond New York City.
GLOW devised numerous efforts to engage I Love NY's audience during key time periods over the course of 2014. The through-line of the several tentpole events, activations and content themes was to relate on a personal and emotional level with consumers, inviting them to enjoy the numerous attractions New York has to offer and then share what they loved about their own experiences. Another key tactic was to invite participation in UGC contests, through which we turned travelers into advocates and gave some of the best amateur photographers taking photos in the state bragging rights and the opportunity to showcase their work on our official page, showing our community that NY loves them back.
In 2014, the I Love NY Facebook page grew at an unprecedented rate and it continues to break records as the second largest Facebook page for a US state destination marketing organization. From January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014, the I Love NY Facebook page saw an increase of nearly 100,000 likes.
Tentpole social events and activations that led to 2014's success include the following:
Through our management of the I Love NY Facebook page, GLOW has taken an iconic brand and made it one of the most engaging state travel presences on the Facebook platform. In fact, we received more likes, comments, and shares on posts in 2014 than neighboring state pages including Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. By amplifying the voice of our community, we've been able to provide unique views into some of New York's most stunning destinations and highlight the diversity of all 11 vacation regions that make up the state.
