Myrtle Beach: The Beach, To Drive Tourism Recovery Responsibly

As Covid-19 restrictions loosen across the United States, Visit Myrtle Beach is driving economic recovery along the Grand Strand with a new brand and marketing campaign beginning this week. The refreshed brand, The Beach, and corresponding marketing campaign, “You Belong At The Beach,” are designed to drive safe and responsible travel with new and repeat visitors along the destination’s 60 miles of pristine Atlantic coastline as well as instill a greater sense of community pride among residents.

The Beach brand positioning comes as Visit Myrtle Beach sought to further strengthen the destination’s highly successful marketing programs. Extensive visitor, resident and stakeholder research was conducted to inform the brand development during the past year. In addition, thoughtful and inclusive creative executions ensured the positioning was reflective of visitor experiences and resident sentiment.

“While the pandemic has had a profound impact on tourism, Myrtle Beach is well positioned for a strong recovery in 2021, which makes this the right time to really leverage the new brand architecture and creative elements,” said Karen Riordan, president and CEO, Visit Myrtle Beach. “Visit Myrtle Beach will continue to drive economic impact for the destination, and The Beach brand will reflect the welcoming, vibrant and modern classic experience that our visitors and residents are so passionate about.”

“You Belong At The Beach,” the initial marketing campaign to fully integrate The Beach brand, will showcase a multi-faceted effort with a data-led approach to targeting and optimization for key audiences. The campaign will feature paid media elements including television spots, paid search, paid social media and out of home; public relations; social media; co-branded partnerships; and more. The campaign will be supplemented by specific efforts to support non-stop air service markets as well as meetings and groups audiences.

As part of the National Travel and Tourism Week celebration, Visit Myrtle Beach announced the destination’s 2020 economic impact, which included more than $842 million in gross lodging sales.

“We are exceptionally thankful for the many community partners who worked tirelessly to support the Myrtle Beach visitor experience and made the many adjustments needed, such as new safety protocols, during the past year,” said Stuart Butler, chief marketing officer, Visit Myrtle Beach. “Tourism is the economic lifeblood of Myrtle Beach, providing $7 billion in economic impact throughout our 14 communities in the Grand Strand. The Beach branding will ensure we continue to invest in increasing our tourism market share and leverage our competitive advantage for years to come.”

The previous branding for Visit Myrtle Beach was utilized for more than 10 years and supported significant industry growth for the region. The consumer research and brand development work was conducted in partnership with MMGY to support Visit Myrtle Beach’s long-term strategic plan.

Visit Myrtle Beach continues to maintain the Healthy Travel section on VisitMyrtleBeach.com with the latest COVID-19 updates and mandates, and also encourages overall vigilance that may go above and beyond what is required. In general, this means wearing face coverings at public, indoor settings, and also outdoors when social distancing is not possible; frequent hand-washing with soap and water; and staying home when sick.