Best Travel Social Media Campaign

Louisiana travelers seek meaningful culinary experiences that reflect the state’s rich food heritage. Through National Gumbo Day, the Louisiana Office of Tourism brought that authentic culinary spirit directly into audiences’ kitchens. The campaign aimed to establish authentic collaborations; produce shareable content; maximize reach across social media platforms; and attract new audiences by generating conversation and engagement in key markets. We partnered with 11 Louisiana-based chefs and food influencers to showcase gumbo through original content. This influencer strategy was supported by integrated paid media, CVB participation, a custom microsite and bold digital placements, like a billboard in Times Square. Content was distributed across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube through Explore Louisiana and influencer channels. Take a look at what we cooked up: Social & Influencer Impact: 3.97M total plays, 214K engagements and 2.18M estimated reach. Explore Louisiana gained 8.5K new followers, with engagement rates increasing 126.9% on Facebook and 76.8% on Instagram. Paid Media: 6.5M digital impressions generated 21K clicks and 12.5K website sessions; online video achieved a 91.17% completion rate. Digital Placements: Times Square video boards delivered 25M impressions and 12.5K landing page sessions. Website Engagement: NationalGumboDay.com generated 16.9K sessions, with the “Build Your Own Gumbo” game achieving a 64.35% engagement rate. Partnership Activation: 250+ retail displays across five states drove 1.4K contest entries and 1K enewsletter signups. Overall, our campaign turned a single holiday into a multichannel moment that resonated with millions, driving social media growth, brand awareness and destination appeal.

Contributors:

Assistant Secretary, Louisiana Office of Tourism:	Doug Bourgeois
Communications Director, Louisiana Office of Tourism:	Jennifer Berthelot
Social Content Manager, Miles Partnership:	Isabella Rubiano
Account Director, Miles Partnership:	Maggie Heller

MILES PARTNERSHIP

Website: www.milespartnership.com

Location: USA

About the Agency:

Miles Partnership markets destinations and hospitality businesses by working with state tourism offices, convention & visitors bureaus, hotels and other organizations in the tourism industry to create forward-thinking digital and print content marketing solutions.