Richmond Region Tourism

After combing through tourism data provided by RRT, Padilla conducted interviews and focus groups with more than 65 individuals, representing many organizations involved in regional tourism, including city and county officials, convention center leaders, business and hotel owners, and many others. Leaders from the region’s Black and LGBTQ+ communities were also involved.​ Research revealed the Richmond Region was hard to define and lacked an identity/brand. While there are many modern activities and attractions in the region with a diverse population, many travelers—who’ve never visited the region—still associated it with its Civil War history.

Padilla worked with RRT to develop the multi-channel “Speaks for Itself” inspiration campaign to raise awareness of the region as a travel destination. The campaign launch included an unconventional, sound‐focused video approach centered around the genuine and authentic character of the region. The first 60-second campaign video takes inspiration from popular ASMR content on social media—relying more on sights and sounds than voiceover content—to communicate what it's like for visitors to experience the Richmond Region.

Video ads on connected TV, as well as on social media (including partnerships with local influencers representing the diversity of the region), digital display ads and out‐of‐home digital billboards in select markets have generated more than 123 million impressions to potential travelers during the 12-month campaign. Visitors who were served our ads spent $37 million in the region. That's a 15x ROI.