BACKGROUND

The Tennessee Department of Tourism Development is charged with promoting the state of Tennessee to vacationers in the United States as well as internationally. One of Tennessee’s biggest tourist attractions is its scenic beauty, especially during the autumn season when the state boasts some of the most vibrant fall foliage in the country. But with so many other states promising travelers similar views, Tennessee set out to remind travelers how special the state’s fall scenery really was.

 

CREATIVE IDEA

We realized there are roughly 13 million Americans who have never seen the changing fall colors because they suffer from red-green color blindness. So we wondered, what if Tennessee could be the place they saw the true colors of fall for the first time? To make it possible, we created the Colorblind Viewer. The world’s first scenic viewer equipped with high-tech lenses that help alleviate red-green colorblindness. Three of these unique viewers were permanently installed at the state’s best scenic look-outs. As colorblind people used them, and witnessed the red and orange glory of fall for the first time, we captured their emotional reactions for a short film that was posted online.

 

STRATEGY 

Tennessee wanted travelers to know it has some of the best fall foliage in the country. The challenge was standing out to an audience that was bombarded with the same picturesque fall landscapes from dozens of states, year after year. Many even saw it out their own windows. Fall colors had become wallpaper to them. Our aim was to get them to see fall beauty, specifically in Tennessee, with fresh eyes by showcasing it through the eyes of colorblind people experiencing it for the first time. So instead of buying into the cluttered paid media space, we bought three scenic viewers and some high tech lenses and created an installation that could actually change lives. This, in turn, also opened the state up to a brand new audience: the millions of Americans affected by colorblindness who may not have previously been interested in fall foliage travel.

 

EXECUTION

With the help of an optometrist, a technology company and an engineer, we outfitted classic scenic viewers with special lenses that can help alleviate red-green color deficiency. Then, on October 26th 2017, we permanently installed the viewers at three of Tennessee’s most impressive fall look-outs. We invited colorblind people to use them and captured their reactions for an emotional short film that was posted online and distributed to national media outlets. Because of the limited window of fall foliage, we spent promoted the film and top news stories to 21-to-54-year-olds within short driving distance of Tennessee, with secondary targeting to people with colorblind-related search history. Thousands of people came to the experience before the leaves fell, with many more already planning their trip for next year.

 

RESULTS 

As video views quickly reached 9MM, the story became national news with features on The Associated Press, NBC Nightly News and ABC as well as sites like Upworthy and GoodNewsNetwork--resulting in 662MM earned impressions and $2.5MM in earned media value. The Colorblind Viewer was even featured on the CBS television program, “Innovation Nation” which showcases present-day change makers. As the news traveled, so did people. The weeks following the campaign, hotel revenue near viewer locations was up 9.5% over the previous year.  And an indication of the cultural impact, the public even began lobbying for the viewers to be installed in other states and parks across the country. As a result, Tennessee is currently working on a manufacturing process to make that possible. What started as an innovative advertising idea, turned into a life-changing product that will now make the beautiful landscape of America inclusive to more people.