Everyone is creating branded content these days. But all too often the connection between the idea and the brand is forced. Consumers see it for what it really is, an ad. The best combinations of brand and entertainment are authentic. Which is why we didn’t hire actors or pay random celebrity spokespeople. From the story to the casting to the music, every detail was purposeful so that the end product truly represented Tennessee. That’s why people connected with it. You can get a long way with limited media spend if your work evokes an emotion, truly reflects the brand and creates meaning.

To kick off the campaign, we partnered with our audience’s preferred airline, Southwest, and had the band perform the song at 35,000 feet on the airline’s new Dallas-to-Memphis flight. The film was posted on Tennessee’s website and social channels with pre-roll and native ads also helping drive to the content. Southwest Airlines also promoted the event and the film on its social channels and blog.

In just six days, the campaign has been covered by USA Today, Yahoo, New York Post, SPIN Magazine, AdWeek and countless other media outlets. And so far it’s generated:

- 12% increase in Memphis search interest on Google

- 99% positive sentiment

- 1.053% increase in sales of song

- 700,000+ video views

- 11% increase in traffic to tnvacation.com

- 6.3 million impressions