TL;DR

The “Yes, Columbus” spring campaign used refreshed creative and paid media to turn regional spring break travel interest into measurable tourism impact, generating $6.2M in total visitor spend and a $104:1 return on ad spend (ROAS).

The Challenge

The challenge was to grow spring tourism revenue by positioning Columbus as a compelling overnight getaway for regional travelers, turning interest from families, couples, solo travelers and event-goers into longer, higher-value visits.

The Strategy

The 2026 Spring Break campaign strategy focused on increasing overnight visitation to Columbus by refreshing high-performing creative for regional drive-market travelers, event-goers, residents and those visiting friends and family.

Paid media extended that message across display, paid social, influencer and out-of-home (OOH), helping reach key audiences during the spring break planning window.

The Creative

The creative mix for this campaign was two-pronged, leaning into multiple concepts to meet different audiences:

• Yes, Columbus: Used side-by-side comparisons with popular destinations to turn Columbus’ hidden-gem status into an advantage, using destination accolades as proof.
• Spring Breakup: Spring Break-specific facet of “Yes, Columbus” that reframes Columbus as the upgraded Spring Break destination, encouraging travelers to “breakup” with the overcrowded and overdone destinations that remain the default.

Creative messaging was tailored to key audience mindsets, addressing existing perceptions of Columbus and giving travelers more reasons to see the city as a spring break destination worth staying overnight for.

The Results

Our Net Income Impact (NEI) Survey detected the following, which can be attributed directly to exposure to the spring campaign.

• Generated $6.2M in total visitor spend.
• Drove $211 average messaged yield per visit.
• Earned $104:1 total ROAS.