Explore Seattle Southside Shows Off Its Swagger

SEATTLE (April 17, 2023) – Explore Seattle Southside (Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority) has a new brand identity and advertising campaign to break through the noise and show off its strengths.

Seattle Southside, the region made up of SeaTac, Tukwila and Des Moines has given itself a fresh look with a brand update that offers a refreshed perspective on the destination as the travel industry opens back up post-pandemic. Its new look and personality encourage travelers to get off the beaten path and discover some of Washington State’s quirkier hidden gems.

“Coming out of the pandemic, research has shown people are more interested in exciting quick hits of adventures, as opposed to just booking big trips, so the entire body of work leans into the idea of curiously wonderful microadventures.” says Explore Seattle Southside CEO Mark Everton.

The brand identity and accompanying campaign prove you don’t have to be a big famous destination like Las Vegas or New York City to make a name for yourself and get people’s attention. Instead, leaning into the idea of “microadventures,” the new campaign highlights the unique character and one-of-a-kind experiences in the area with a new transforming “S” logo meant to represent the region and nod to all the hidden gems to explore.

“So many travelers come through Seattle every year. Our goal is to get them to take notice of our area and visit. Yes, we have SEA Airport, but we also have so many unknown treasures including a great variety of international cuisines, unique activities, and some of the best hotels to stay.” says Ashley Comar, Vice President of Marketing & Communications of Explore Seattle Southside.

To help with the heavy lifting for the brand refresh, Explore Seattle Southside tapped design and advertising agency One Twenty Three West (123w) to bring the vision to life. To get ahead of the busy travel season to come, the brand refresh and ad campaign (including digital video, social, and digital display in key targeted regions in the US and Canada) was fully launched just in time for the beginning of spring.

“Most tourism campaigns rely on one iconic thing to do or see and lots of hero photography of that attraction. With Explore Seattle Southside, we wanted to bring the curiously wonderful hidden gems of the region to the forefront. That idea pushed us towards a bright, illustrated world full of color and character--just like the region” says Associate Creative Director Gerardo Agbuya from 123w, the design and advertising agency responsible for the work.

In addition to the new brand identity, a series of videos is accompanying the new look. Leaning into the idea of “microadventures,” each video is micro in its own way. One content series gives viewers a cheeky guide to microadventures in Seattle Southside in a few microseconds. Another whimsical animated spot shows one microadventure leading to another, while a final video shows a micro-travel toiletry travel kit to help travelers discover all the many microadventures.

Click below images to view videos:

Credits:
Agency: One Twenty Three West
Creative Director: Rob Sweetman
Creative Director: Jeff Harrison
Creative Director: Bryan Collins
Associate Creative Director: Jesse Wilks
Associate Creative Director: Gerardo Agbuya
Designer: Jake Lim
Motion Designer: Jesse Shaw
Video Producer: Brittany Taylor, Paula Gill
Brand Design Producer: Ninette Aves
Account Services: Katie Muir
Account Services: Natalie Wu
Strategy: Colin Carroll
Connections Planner: Kim Dudra, Michael Gray
Media Agency: Basis Technologies

About Explore Seattle Southside
Explore Seattle Southside (The Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority) is the official destination marketing organization for Seattle Southside, including the cities of SeaTac, Tukwila and Des Moines. The organization is responsible for competitively marketing the area as an ideal travel destination for leisure and business travelers who wish to explore Western Washington and an idyllic place for meeting and event planners to hold their events. The Seattle Southside RTA is funded by a self-assessed hotel fund.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Jeff Powell
Communications Manager
P: 206-677-0160
E: Jeff@SeattleSouthside.com
www.seattlesouthside.com