Nebraska Tourism Commission unveils marketing campaign "not for everyone"

The Nebraska Tourism Commission’s new marketing campaign was unveiled on Wednesday at the Nebraska Tourism Conference.

According to a release by the Nebraska Tourism Commission the premise of the new campaign is as follows: "Nebraska may not be on everyone’s bucket list of places to visit, but if you like experiences that are unpretentious and uncomplicated or if you enjoy escaping the big city life for moments of solitude in the open plains, creating your own fun or exploring the quirkiness the state has to offer, chances are, you will like it here."

“It was important to the Nebraska Tourism staff, marketing committee and Commissioners to be true to who we are and honest about what we are not. Along each step of the way we were heavily involved in discovering ourselves and what those outside of our borders thought and felt,” said Deb Loseke, Nebraska Tourism Commission Chair and Columbus/Platte County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director. “So we discovered that we can't offer something to everyone - but to those that we can, this campaign speaks to their sense of adventure and discovering what we as Nebraskans are all about.”

According to the release, the marketing campaign "needs to be disruptive."

“What we set out to do is create a brand that is rooted in a core human value that is shared by Nebraskans and potential visitors to the state,” said John Ricks, Nebraska Tourism executive director. “The new brand platform is defined by honesty. The overarching concept of honesty is rooted in a mindset that values transparency, purity and simplicity. A way of embracing the not-so-obvious bits of life. We feel we’ve accomplished just that.”

In spring of 2018, the campaign was tested in out-of-state markets.

The release states the "testing proved that the advertising effectively overcomes significant hurdles Nebraska faces as a leisure destination, the campaign increased likelihood to visit for most or increased their potential time in the state."

The new campaign will begin in spring of 2019 in key out-of-state markets.