Hocking Hills State Park.
For the final project in Advertising 315S, a full campaign was to be created. Starting with a full campaign brief, 2 rough layouts of visual elements, and an IMC strategy. After the fact, a 5 minute presentation was to be given to showcase the full project.
Grace Needham
Brand: Ohio
Brief State Background: Ohio is a diverse and easily accessible state in the Midwest. While often known for its cities like Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati, its southeastern region is home to the stunning beauty of the Appalachian foothills. Hocking Hills State Park is the wonder of this region, featuring beautiful waterfalls, recess caves, deep gorges, and ancient forests, offering a shocking contrast to the state’s farmlands and cities.
Creative Strategy Statement: To the overwhelmed and adventure-seeking Midwest traveler, Hocking Hill is “The Accessible Escape”. A surprisingly rugged sanctuary of nature within a short drive, where you can unplug, challenge yourselves, and reconnect with nature’s true power and beauty.
Target Audience: 25-45 years olds with dual-income and no children or with children over the age of 8 years old. Live within a 4 to 5 hour dive radius (Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Detroit, etc.). Seeking small adventures. They are active on social media, but also may crave a technology break. They value experiences over material possessions, enjoy hiking and camping, and prioritize mental health through nature.
Consumer Benefit: A true and complete break. The beautiful satisfaction of moving your body and feeling small again, exchanging anxiety or awe. It’s a vacation for the mind, offered through physical power and geological beauties.
Why Visit?: Unexpected geography, featuring massive, ancient caves (Ash Cave, Old Man’s Cave) and beautiful waterfalls. Year-round beauty with amazing hiking every season, offering frozen waterfalls in the winter, bright greenery in the spring and summer, and vibrant orange and red colors in the fall. Adventurous options, beyond hiking, Hocking Hills offers zip lining, rock climbing, kayaking and luxury cabins.
One Thing: The feeling of walking inside a 10,000 year old chasm, where the walls are made of time and the air is 20 degrees cooler than the outside world.
Positioning: Hocking Hills is positioned as The Midwest’s Premier Natural Sanctuary and Adventure Base, offering a level of geological wonder and accessible ruggedness unmatched by any destination within a five-hour radius.
USB: Surprisingly rugged and completely accessible.
Brand Character/Personality: The Stoic Guide, ancient, deep and slightly mysterious. It doesn’t scream for attention, it waits to reveal its secrets to those willing to make the short journey.
Tone: Bright, and contrasting. Focusing on light and emphasizing the moss on sandstone, rushing water, and exposed rock. Also focusing on intimate, challenging and contemplative trails. Using language that contrasts modern stressors with natural simplicity.
Point of View: The POV focuses on the moment the vastness of the park (the caves, the cliffs) confronts the visitor;s small, modern problems. Example: “Your deadlines are 100 feet above you.”
Tactics/Media: Out-of-Home: Minimalist design on highways near major Midwest cities.
Generate Interest/Buzz: Photo Scavenger Hunt: this campaign will offer a photo scavenger hunt, allowing visitors to visit all 7 trails. There will be 3 signs posted at each park for people to take pictures at, and after taking a certain amount of pictures they will unlock different free items at the shop set up at the park (magnets, mugs, hoodies).
Tagline: The Natural Heart of Ohio: Closer Than You Think
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Grace Needham
Ad A - The Natural Heart of Ohio: Closer Than You Think
Brand: Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio
Target:
Active, experience-focused Midwest travelers (age 25-45) residing in major hubs like Columbus, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. This dual-income audience seeks quick, rugged micro-adventures like hiking and camping, valuing a nature-based mental health break over material possessions.
CTA: Unplug & Discover
Headline: Your Focus Is Waiting
Subhead: Step off the grid. Step into the ancient.
Copy A:
You’re built for constant motion, for deadlines, for always being “on”. But what if being truly present meant stepping back into something ancient?
Copy B:
Hocking Hills isn’t just a destination; it’s a geological reset. Walk beneath towering sandstone cliffs carved by millennia. Feel the silence of a recess cave deeper than any office. Here, your biggest anxieties seem to shrink, dwarfed by the immense, enduring power of nature. Return refreshed, re-centered, and ready to face the world with renewed perspective.
Grace Needham
Ad B - The Natural Heart of Ohio: Closer Than You Think
Brand: Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio
Target:
Individuals ages 30-50, with dual income and no kids or older kids, who value accessible authentic nature alongside modern comfort. Living within a manageable driving radius of major cities. They seek a robust physical and mental rest through activities like hiking, but demand a high-quality, amenity filled private cabin for their recovery. This audience is willing to pay a premium price for the duality of a rugged outdoor experience and friendly luxury.
CTA: Book your sanctuary.
Headline: Your Wild Heart Needs A Home Base.
Subhead: A hike in the morning. A hearth at night.
Copy A:
You crave the rugged challenge of the gorges, but you deserve the luxury of rest. Hocking Hills offers both. Spend your day navigating ancient trails and feeling the cool spray of Cedar Falls. Then, retreat to your secluded, high-end cabin sanctuary. With fireplaces, hot tubs, and star-filled skies, this is the perfect balance: primal adventure by day, total comfort by night. This is where you recharge completely.
IMC Strategy - Interactive
Through this interactive IMC strategy, visitors will be able to visit 1-7 of the hiking trails at Hocking Hills, including Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Whispering Cave, Conkle’s Hollow, Cantwell Cliffs, and Rock House.
Each trail will offer 3 signs in different locations that visitors can take photos at in exchange for different free items. If photos are taken at all 3 of the signs on one of the trails then visitors will get a free magnet based on the trail. If photos are taken at 1 of the signs at all 7 trails then visitors will get a free mug (color options available). Lastly, if all photos are taken at all 3 signs of all of the 7 trails, they will receive a free hoodie (size and color options available), as well as the magnet and the mug.
This interactive experience will be open from May to October, with the hope to bring more visitors to the area, while also encouraging them to visit some of the less known trails.
