The number of Americans researching and booking their travel via the Internet increases every year. That’s why full-service marketing communications firm MGH, Owing Mills, Md., launched MoreFunHere.com, for the Ocean City, Md., Convention and Visitors Bureau and Department of Tourism as an extension of the beach town’s television advertising campaign.
MoreFunHere.com serves tourists’ core information needs, including lodging and restaurant options, event listings and a full directory of the town’s attractions. To add to the stickiness of the site, MGH created an interactive “Whack-a-Crab” game, a puzzle and coloring book pages that can be printed from PDF files to help get visitors in the mood for a trip to the beach. Video files of the TV ads are also available for viewing on the site.
The website’s design features icons of a minimalist white stick man engaging in fun Ocean City activities, such as boating, eating crabs and shopping on an equally simple blue background. This matches the look of the television ads, which show the stick man morphing into the dozens of fun things to do in Ocean City. The final tagline on all of these spots asks viewers to visit MoreFunHere.com for more information.
“The importance of using the same messaging in both offline and online media has never been more important for marketers,” said John Patterson, creative director at MGH. “The ‘More Fun Here’ message has been successfully delivered through television advertising, and the simplicity of MoreFunHere.com’s design makes it easier than ever for a first-time visitor or even a 100-time visitor to find the information he or she needs to plan the best Ocean City vacation.”
Patterson pointed out that since the idea for the More Fun Here character came from the television spot, it was important to keep the animated character “in character” for the microsite,
“He was essentially a two-dimensional painted icon–the kind you would see on a road sign–who comes to life. So we spent a lot of time discussing how to portray him in only two dimensions, but still allow him to do a lot of fun things. In other words, he needed to stay flat–without being ‘flat,’ said Patterson.
“We also worked a lot with the character’s body language, choosing quick, fun movements that made him more likable. In addition, we voiced the character in a somewhat abstract way to match his somewhat abstract appearance.”
MoreFunHere.com is a flash-based site, and its links lead to content housed at OCOcean.com, which continues to serve as the town’s main tourism website.
How The Hollywood Awards Calendar Has Been Affected By The Wildfires
Hollywood's awards season has all but come to a rare halt as the wildfires continue to disrupt life and work in the Los Angeles area. There are near daily updates from the Hollywood guilds and organizations that put on awards shows as the industry navigates the ongoing crisis.
Here's an overview of the major upcoming awards shows, from the Oscars to the Grammys, including updated dates for nominations.
Producers Guild and Writers Guild award nominations
Postponed, no new dates announced
The Writers Guild of America nominations were to be announced Jan. 8, a date that was pushed to Jan. 13 and then postponed indefinitely. The Producers Guild of America nominations for feature films were to be announced on Jan. 10, which was pushed to Jan. 12 and then postponed to an unspecified date this week.
Academy Award nominations
Jan. 23
The Oscar nominations have been twice-delayed — they were initially slated for Jan. 17, then Jan. 19, before being delayed again. The delay in the announcement accommodates an extended voting deadline, as many Academy members have been affected by the wildfires.
The nominations will be announced via a "virtual presentation," eschewing press on site.
Critics Choice Awards
Jan. 26
Originally slated for Jan. 12, the awards were set to take place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, only miles from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood where fire was raging.
The awards will be broadcast live on E!, hosted by Chelsea Handler.
Grammy Awards
Feb. 2
By virtue of announcing their nominations back in November, the Grammys' schedule has largely been unaffected by the wildfires. Some... Read More