SCVB Hopes Tourism Campaign Goes Viral

There are many things that have "gone viral" on the Internet. You have double rainbows, chocolate rain and even a campaign to find cars hidden across the U.S.

The Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau is hoping its new campaign, "Searching for Sara," will go viral, too.

"So many people are so creative, with creative campaigns that go viral," said SCVB Communications Director Erin Duggan. "It just picks up on [a] website and spreads like wildfire. What can we do that we could capture a buzz?"

The idea came to Duggan last year in the middle of the night. The county, she said, could have a contest for people named Sara to sign up for a chance to win a trip to Sarasota County.

She presented the idea to her co-workers and multiple SCVB advisory boards, and it was met with resounding approval. The contest launched Sept. 6.

"The response so far has been beyond our wildest dreams," Duggan said.

After being in the works for almost a year, "Searching for Sara" launched last month with early signs of success.

"We have around 100 Saras that have entered, but we have probably had close to 4,000 [people] like our [Facebook] page since this campaign launched Sept. 6," Duggan said on Sept. 30. "Three weeks in, to have that many people come to our page and 'like' it, is amazing."

The contest page now has more than 10,000 "likes."

How to Enter

For all you Saras, to enter you first have to "like" the "Searching for Sara" Facebook page. After you submit your information, and it's approved by SCVB, you can invite your friends and family to vote for you on that page.

Saras have the opportunity to win one of four trips: arts and culture, sports and adventure, culinary vacation and a family vacation.

Contestants have until Oct. 21 to register on the Facebook page. Voting ends Nov. 7, and the SCVB will announce the finalists for each trip. Finalists will be asked to fill out more information about why they should win the trip and why they chose that particular trip. 

Duggan said that while local Saras are more then welcome to enter a submission, the goal is attract new people to Sarasota County.

"Our ultimate goal is for those who aren’t so familiar with Sarasota County so they can really experience it for the first time," Duggan said.