Congratulations to the 2022 TIAK Marketing Award Winners!
TIAK Marketing Awards focus on overall marketing initiatives and recognize state-level winners only. See this year’s winners listed below with some of the judge’s comments included for each submission.
People’s Choice
Visit Emporia won in the People’s Choice category determined by conference attendees at the event for its bicycle-pulled chariots campaign as a way to promote the community and bring awareness to their status as a top cycling destination.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
Visitor Guide (designed in-house)
Experience El Dorado won in the small budget category for their first full visitor’s guide since rebranding.
Click here to learn more about this winning entry.
- Love the shop local section.
- The color scheme and design elements work well with the overall content strategy and placement. Well done!
- Great job of showcasing tons of content, but keeping it appealing and digestible.
Dodge City Convention and Visitor’s Bureau received bragging rights in the medium budget category for its 2022 image-centric Visitor Guide.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Colorful! Kudos for remaining an ad free guide. Love your new look.
- I just love what Dodge City is doing with their creative this year! The logo, the font, the colors, the graphic design – it is all so modern, catchy, pleasing to the eye.
- Great job to your designers for including a LOT of information in a well-organized and creative manner.
Visit Wichita was the large budget winner for its 2022 Spring/Summer Visitor Guide inspiring travelers to explore the Heart of the Country.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- I love how the cover image reflects the Wichita flag. The cohesion with the city’s color scheme is on-brand, provides a memorable and entertaining experience for visitors reading it!
- Good use of QR codes to drive conversion. Really like the meet the local. Great storytelling and great photography.
- Very easy to navigate! Love that you are using the Wichita branded flag.
Visitor Guide (outsourced)
Visit Emporia received the medium budget trophy for their Spanish-translated guide showcasing key attractions.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Kudos for doing a Spanish guide.
- Excellent design and photography in this visitors guide. The research and planning is evident as well.
- Everything is laid out in a creative way, makes me want to keep reading it and visit Emporia!
eXplore Lawrence Inc won in the large budget for their Unmistakably Lawrence Visitor Guide featuring personal essays from Lawrencians.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- As usual – beautiful and colorful!!
- Makes me want to visit. Captures the essence of the community. I really love this.
- The mix of content is entertaining yet everything is extremely cohesive.
Online Marketing
The entries for the Online Marketing category include digital advertising, social media, e-mail marketing, website.
Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty Association was recognized in the small budget category for its social media campaign.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Interesting and informative!
- The Peace Treaty social media campaign is a strategic and effective use of marketing budget to promote this special event.
- Graphics are great. Clear, colorful and artistic. Like the branding a lot!
Visit Manhattan, Kansas received honors in the medium budget category for its “Getaway for Two” social media ads.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Planning on the February marketing push for Manhattan to be a “getaway for two” is such a solid addition to the marketing calendar.
- Clicks and impressions show that your placement and targeting was spot-on. Content was reflective of romance and love in Manhattan!
- Great way to get folks to your community in the off-season.
eXplore Lawrence received recognition in the large budget category for its new bold and colorful, on-brand website.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Impressive uptick in website views. Love all the large images.
- This site is so Lawrence. Perfect vibe. Well executed.
- The overall feel is bold and colorful, and the personalization side traditionally puts visitors over the edge when it comes to tourism marketing.
Event
The entries for the Event category include various events, meetings or conferences.
Seneca Area Chamber & Downtown Impact garnered recognition in the small budget category for its first-ever Oktoberfest Beer Tasting Festival.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Great effort for first time event. Loved the graphics!
- 160 tickets sold when 100 was the goal is outstanding! Well-done on executing tactics to accomplish your marketing goals!
- Congratulations on exceeding your goals. Looks fun.
Friends of the Topeka Zoo received honors in the medium budget category for their dinosaur campaign.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Solid campaign start to finish.
- Great event for young and old.
- Thank you for including all the materials that you did, providing a full-fledged picture of this strategic campaign.
Visit Topeka received large budget honors for its Topeka Dino Days leisure festival.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Third largest event in Topeka was a success! Big crowds were impressive.
- Outrageous. Amazing attendance results and media exposure.
- Loved how everyone worked together on this, and how it was so extremely successful across the board! Consistent, cohesive marketing strategies allowed for this seamless promotion. What a draw for visitors!
Print Marketing
The entries for the Print category include newspaper ads, magazine ads, brochures, direct mail, inserts, anything print.
Explore Crawford County won in the small budget category for its “Gus Explores Southeast Kansas” coloring book.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- This is great, love the QR codes.
- I love that this coloring book project included students from the area university.
- Targeting families and providing an activity for their children is an effective creative strategy to get tourists to Crawford County!
Visit Emporia was the medium budget winner for their disc golf course and gravel cycling route field guide pocketbooks.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Pocketbooks are well-designed and informational.
- Strategic use of the QR code has allowed you to grow and plan for additional guidebooks (jeeping) – which is a solid way to plan for measurement of the campaign. Ensure you have a QR code in the additional books or a way to track engagement, which will inform how you grow your informational products.
- This is nice. Really niche.
Wichita Art Museum received the large budget win for their regional newspaper insert touting their new sculpture installation and career survey exhibition.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- You know your audience!
- These Beth Lipman inserts are excellent, showcasing the overall tone of her work as well as providing informative, strategic content to drive visitors to the exhibit.
- Eye stopping designs. Like the strategy behind the insertions.
Community Awareness
The entries for Community Awareness category include community events and promotions targeting locals.
City of Greensburg Tourism was honored in the small budget category for its 15th tornado anniversary video.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Great civic pride!
- I love that this is a result of a strategic civic partnership with the Kiowa County Media Center! It’s a well-done video that tells a story.
- The script and production are topnotch, and its an effective and thoughtful celebration of the past 15 years.
Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau won in the medium budget category for its campaign creating awareness about their five-star community.
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Love that you promoted all your awards!!
- Congrats, awesome way to toot your horn and build local pride.
- The Abilene team did a remarkable job responding to tourism changes due to Covid. The variety of strategic media and promotional materials work together to create a wonderful image of Abilene as a Midwest destination.
eXplore Lawrence received the large budget category win for their short video series answering the question of “Why Lawrence?”
Click here to learn more about this entry.
- Love this campaign! Advocates to the local community as well as visitors!
- So authentic. And great data extract.
- The diversity focus here is outstanding – you have representation from so many groups, what a thoughtful selection and planning process. Website and banners are excellent storytellers.
Thank you to all our participants for sharing their creativity, and to all our judges who diligently reviewed each entry. Will you be the next TIAK Marketing Award winner?