Turning our unexpectedly cool hometown into the most talked about destination brand in America.
VisitLEX
Uncovering a Hidden Gem
Ten years ago, no one talked about Lexington, Kentucky. To most travelers, it was just a sleepy college town in a state weighed down by tired stereotypes. Then VisitLEX and Cornett got to work.
In the decade since our partnership began, we’ve built Lexington into the pound-for-pound buzziest destination brand in the country.
Our superpower? Layering big earned ideas on top of powerful paid media. It’s kept VisitLEX in the spotlight for over a decade, driving everything from impressions to occupancy—boosting revenue and improving quality of life for locals and businesses alike.
Once overlooked by travelers, Lexington is now considered one of the “Top 5 Best Small Cities in the U.S.” by Condé Nast Traveler and one of the “Top 100 Most Loved Destinations in the World” according to the Tourism Sentiment Index.
Once overlooked by travelers, Lexington is now considered one of the “Top 5 Best Small Cities in the U.S.” by Condé Nast Traveler and one of the “Top 100 Most Loved Destinations in the World” according to the Tourism Sentiment Index.
Bittersweet Views
We flipped the traditional destination marketing by focusing not on the thrill of arrival, but the regret of leaving too soon. Built on the insight that many visitors underestimate how much time Lexington deserves, the campaign pairs stunning Bluegrass scenery—seen through car and airplane windows—with intentionally somber, tongue-in-cheek headlines. The campaign reframed travel regret as a solvable problem, urging travelers to plan longer stays in Lexington to fully experience the city’s culture, cuisine, and landscape.
#1
Travel Ad Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice
Gold Winner
Travel Weekly Magellan Awards
Neigh-i Travel Planner
What happens when you mix Lexington’s horse heritage with today’s obsession over artificial intelligence? You get Neigh-i—the world’s first low-latency, equine alternative to AI. Instead of algorithms, visitors planning a trip to the Horse Capital of the World can now get recommendations from Oliver, a very opinionated local horse. From where to stay to what to sip, Oliver is here to make your Lexington itinerary anything but ordinary.
1
Opinionated Horse
550M
Earned Media Placements
$19.2M
Estimated Ad Value
Hey, Aliens! Look at Lexington
UFO revelations and advances in deep space imaging have fueled the belief that we are not alone in the universe. So we assembled a team of local scientists and scholars to devise the first-ever travel advertisement targeting extraterrestrial intelligence. The message? Visit Lexington, the friendliest place on Earth.
3B
Earned Media Impressions
1,100+
Earned Media Placements
$28M
Estimated Ad Value
Look at Lexington
This ambitious 360 campaign champions Lexington as by far the bluegrassy-est, absolutely the bourbon-est, and hands down the horsey-est place around. With a tagline that doubles as a direct call to action, “Look at Lexington” was VisitLEX’s first test of Performance TV—practically demands that would-be travelers place the unexpectedly cool destination in their consideration set.
112%
Increase YoY Visitation from Target Markets
30%
Lift Overall Visitation from Target Markets
13%
Increase in Hotel Revenue
11%
Increase in RevPar
Horse Kicks
Horse Kicks started with the challenge: how do we differentiate ourselves from rival cities and get new audiences talking about Lexington, Kentucky, The Horse Capital of the World? The answer: Sneakers for horses. Horse Kicks began as a stunt to promote Lexington, but after partnering with local sneaker artist Marcus Floyd, it quickly became a very real brand with a very real product—and eventually, very real demand, pioneering a whole new sneaker category.
3B
Earned Media Impressions
274
Earned Media Placements
$103M
Approximate Advertising Equivalency
The One Show Shortlisted
The Harmon Room
“The Queen’s Gambit”—a mid-century chess thriller set in our very own Lexington—became Netflix’s most-watched limited series ever, and a once-in-a-lifetime marketing moment for VisitLEX. So we got off the couch, put our heads together, and figured out how we could grab some of that hype for Lexington at a time when the travel industry had taken an unprecedented hit.
2,750+
YoY Increase in Social Traffic to Website
700M
Earned Media Impressions
150+
Earned Media Placements
