FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, Feb. 24, 2023
CONTACT: Katlyn Svendsen, Global Media & Public Relations Director, South Dakota Department of Tourism, 605-773-3301

TRAVEL SOUTH DAKOTA’S MARKETING CAMPAIGN EARNS “PLATINUM” AWARD
IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETING COMPETITION

PIERRE, S.D. – Travel South Dakota’s Go Great Places integrated marketing campaign was recently honored with a platinum Adrian Award – being elevated after an additional round of judging of 2022 gold award winning entries.

In November, it was announced that Travel South Dakota was honored with three Adrian Awards, which are international marketing awards from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI).

After the Go Great Places integrated campaign was designated a gold award winner, a second round of judging deemed it a platinum award winner out of more than 600 entries. Being elevated to a platinum award made it eligible for the Best in Show award.

The annual Adrian Awards are the world’s most prestigious travel marketing awards, recognizing travel marketing organizations for innovative sales & marketing efforts in advertising, public relations, and digital marketing. The awards ceremony honoring the handful of platinum award winners was held on Thurs., Feb. 23, in Los Angeles, California.

Travel South Dakota’s Go Great Places integrated campaign was developed in partnership with Lawrence & Schiller of Sioux Falls, MMGY Global of Kansas City, Missouri, and Miles Partnership of Denver, Colorado.

The goal of the Go Great Places campaign was to stay top of mind with travelers and reach people who were ready to safely travel again. The campaign focused on South Dakota’s wide-open spaces and outdoor attractions.

Overall, this campaign led to 13.5 million visitors in 2021, garnered more than 4 million impressions, and saw a return on investment of $52:$1.

“It is our department’s mission to create top-notch marketing campaigns that are not only effective, but also engaging,” said James Hagen, Secretary of the Department of Tourism. “Having this award moved to the platinum category and be eligible for Best of Show amongst hundreds of other top notch tourism marketing competitors motivates our team to keep pursuing opportunities to share South Dakota’s story with visitors from across the world.”

The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Travel South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.

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Media Notes:

Visual Assets
For visual assets from the campaign and HSMAI, visit this Dropbox link.

About HSMAI
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners and is the industry’s leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals and their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as the Marketing Strategy Conference, Adrian Awards, and HSMAI ROC. Founded in 1927, HSMAI is a membership organization comprising more than 5,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas region. Connect with HSMAI at hsmai.org, HSMAI Facebook, HSMAI Instagram, HSMAI Twitter, and HSMAI YouTube.