Background

In February 2016, Visit California launched an integrated global initiative targeted at families. Centered around a new creative platform – “Kidifornia” – and deployed across paid, owned, earned and travel trade channels, programming builds on five years of success targeting family travelers and offers new potential to inspire this valuable target audience in fresh ways. To better understand the achievements of Visit California’s family program to date, it is useful to look at historical research and planning efforts used to shape strategy and early program development, along with key performance indicators demonstrating success in reaching and influencing this segment.

Visit California’s Family Initiative keys in on the idea of California as the ultimate family playground, with messaging highlighting the unparalleled roster of kid-friendly experiences across the state. Ultimately, the initiative showcases the abundant experiences suited to every family member.

Strategic Approach

Help turn California into “Kidifornia”

California travel and tourism industry partners can connect with the #Kidifornia platform and leverage messaging in your own destination or business.

Looking ahead, Visit California will partner with National Geographic on a unique original content program aimed to raise awareness of California as the ultimate family vacation destination.

Here’s how:

1. Engage on social

• Resurface kid-focused/kid-friendly content already developed in your arsenal of owned content. Articles, itineraries, photography can all be repurposed under the umbrella “California is now Kidifornia, where kids rule vacation!”
  • Some examples:  "We’re joining @visitcalifornia in renaming California to Kidifornia"; “California has renamed itself Kidifornia, because it’s the most kid-friendly place for vacation”; “California is now Kidifornia, where kids rule vacation.”
• Start to use #Kidifornia on all family-friendly social posts from owned channels and encourage fan base to share their #Kidifornia experiences from your area.

2. Submit content ideas

• Visit California is always interested in your editorial ideas and looking for insight into your family-focused product offerings and experiences. In addition to ideas and information, Visit California needs images that showcase family travel in your area.
• Image guidelines:
  • Horizontal rather than vertical. Please send the highest-possible resolution since web site images run at a sizable 1280x640 pixels.
  • Editorial in nature rather than promotional. We are looking for emotion-filled imagery, and if people are included these folks should be engaged in an activity—definitely not posed and probably not looking straight to camera. If the image would seem at home in an issue of Travel & Leisure or Food and Wine magazine, you are on the right track.
  • If multiple images are available, please send what you have. VisitCalifornia.com images run with copy overlays, and we greatly prefer to have options to choose from.
• When you’re ready, submit content here.

• Help spread the word about your local kid-friendly destination offerings by localizing the Visit California template Kidifornia press release and contact information before sending it out to your media contacts.