Video campaign targets six different visitor experiences
Families love visiting Solvang, which is being promoted in the new video campaign, “What’s Your Solvang Story?” This photo and the other photos with this story are scenes from the videos.
Solvang has debuted the first in a series of travel-related advertising videos under a new campaign, “What’s Your Solvang Story?”
The video series displays Solvang through the lens of six marketing buckets — friend adventures, family-friendly escapes, girls’ getaways, art and architecture seekers, travel with pets, and those interested in food and drink experiences.
“Solvang is a special California destination with truly unique, Old World charms. With that in mind, we wanted to highlight what the city has to offer with a particular, more personalized point of view,” said Jamie Shaw, global head of creative with Cogs & Marvel, an experiential events and marketing firm contracted by the city of Solvang.
“Solvang is brimming with iconic landmark replicas such as a half-sized, bronze ‘Little Mermaid’ statue perched atop a bubbling fountain, a one-third replica of Copenhagen’s Rundetårn (Round Tower) and a smaller-scale, dragon-tailed spire fashioned after the tower of Copenhagen’s Old Stock Exchange,” Ms. Shaw said. “The town also features four whimsical windmills all located within minutes of each other if exploring on foot, and each one (is) favored for photo opportunities.”
Produced in the fall of 2021 and filmed entirely on location, the videos in the series present some only-found-in Solvang scenes in a visual style that stands apart from other California destination tourism content.
“The city boasts five authentic Danish bakeries, must-dos of most any Solvang visit, as well as five museums, which display artifacts ranging from Viking age weaponry to Solvang’s more contemporary beginnings, to mixed media art exhibits, to the telling of the life and times of Denmark’s famed fairy tale scribe, Hans Christian Andersen,” said Ms. Shaw.
“Dog-friendly and ideal for kids, Solvang, known for its Danish-American vibe, Scandinavian architecture and design details, pastries, bakeries and plentiful wine tasting options, also boasts dozens upon dozens of unique boutiques, restaurants and gourmet food purveyors,” she continued. “Carefully-curated indie bookstores, high-end stationers and home goods suppliers, mingle with fairy tale-like children’s boutiques and museum gift shops.”
“Solvang’s numerous foodie havens offer up everything from elevated street cuisine, like locally-sourced fish tacos on hand-made tortillas and comforting ramen noodles to European-style pretzels and sausages, to Italian standbys or iconic Danish dishes, to elevated new-Californian fare in the form of Michelin-honored menus, to heritage grain sourdough loaves or limited edition cheese releases, to small-batch, locally-roasted coffee, exotic and familiar hand-bottled spice blends, to Tiki cocktails and craft beers, all forming an indulgent, warm-weather shopping and playing escape.”
Solvang, founded in 1911 by Danish settlers, retains its European-inspired roots and culture, which are showcased throughout the walkable village via half-timber architecture, quaint streets and courtyards, and on the more modern side, examples of sleek Scandinavian design.
“We believe that the fresh approach in this video series distinguishes Solvang as a place unto itself and well worth a visit when considering California stay and play destinations,” Ms Shaw said. “When competing for attention on social media and other avenues, breaking through the noise means captivating with compelling visuals that speak with a clear voice, stand out from the crowd and draw viewers in with relatable, yet dreamy, content.”
The strategy behind this series is a result of the types of experiences that seem to be most-requested by Solvang visitors, combined with actual visitation data, according to Scott Schumake, executive producer with Cogs & Marvel.
“Solvang, sitting in the Santa Ynez Valley and the associated wine region, is surrounded by more familiar stagecoach era imagery and vineyard vistas as well as glorious Spanish Missions and Native American nods to the Chumash tribe, which has called this area home for thousands and thousands of years. But the town of Solvang is an escape all its own due to its Danish details and endearing, cultural quirks. It’s one of those ‘Europe-in-America,’ storybook destinations,” said Mr. Schumake.
The “What’s Your Solvang Story?” travel campaign is being rolled out through the SolvangUSA social media channels (@SolvangUSA, facebook.com/SolvangUSA, twitter.com/SolvangUSA) and posted to Solvang’s tourism marketing YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/channel/UC4OLUWm-0LUVza60EBxVKYA) throughout May.
“Each of the video clips is somewhere between 30 to 40 seconds in duration, short and undeniably Solvang-sweet,” said Mr. Schumake.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
