About Project

With the onset of COVID-19 last year, the waterfront city of Benicia, California needed to totally reconceive its tourism marketing strategy for the summer and holiday season.

Historically, Benicia has been popular with visitors because of its public events, shopping, and indoor dining — attractions which were problematic during the pandemic.

CDA had to essentially scrap the original summer plan for the year and start over, looking at industry data and refocusing on the attractions audiences were crying out for: local day trips, outdoor leisure activities, and safe ways to relax and rejuvenate.

Above all: an escape from 2020!

CDA worked with the city to launch Benicia’s “A Great Escape By the Bay” campaign, which emphasized a variety of day trip itineraries that promoted mental and physical health while incorporating safe shopping & dining agendas to continue driving revenue for small, locally-owned businesses.

The campaign required a rapid turnaround to launch across multiple channels:
A new website for the campaign (www.EscapeByTheBay.com)

Media relations and PR, bringing travel writers/bloggers and local social media into the city to enjoy the different day trips offered.

Multi-channel paid media, encompassing local TV, email, billboards, digital media, and print advertising in Diablo magazine

Multimedia production, including content for TV, print, and web showcasing a safe COVID-19 visitor experience

Results: The campaign drove a huge upswing in earned media coverage, especially for a year when large public events were canceled. Benicia was covered by Visit California, the SF Chronicle, Mercury News, and even got a shoutout on Live With Kelly and Ryan.