Following Hurricane Helene, Western North Carolina needed a bold way to drive winter tourism. We knew we had a captive audience just a few states south: for Floridians living in endless summer, a true winter—crisp mountain air, cozy fires, and falling snow—is a top "bucket list" fantasy. To capitalize on this, Visit North Carolina brought the mountains to the beach.

We launched "Ski Florida," a campaign anchored by a playful misdirection and a deeply immersive pop-up ski lodge in the heart of St. Petersburg. Geographically impossible OOH boards teased the concept, funneling curious locals into a physical activation that wrapped them in the nostalgic romance of a winter getaway, generating widespread earned media, seamlessly introducing North Carolina’s six ski resorts, and nearly quadrupling average YoY outdoor recreation transactions.