Visit Carson City
Winter Wonderlands Aren’t Just for Hallmark Movies
With its historic streets, twinkling lights, and festive events, Carson City makes the perfect backdrop for visitors to step into their very own winter story. To prove it, we created a rom-com.
In the movies, small towns always have it all: cozy inns, friendly locals, and an uncanny ability to cure big-city burnout. In real life? It’s called Carson City.
‘Tis the shoulder season
Winter in Carson City is full of charm—but it’s also a competitive season with nearby Lake Tahoe and resort destinations. To differentiate the DMO, we embraced what Carson City does best: nostalgia, small-town charm, and the possibility of falling in love… with your vacation.
Beneath the tinsel and sierra snowfall is a strategy that targets various audiences—from culture seekers and outdoor enthusiasts to older weekday travelers and millennials—to drive more overnight stays.
The plot
The storyline follows Claire, a businesswoman on a mission to secure a land deal and her promotion… only to rediscover the magic of her hometown and the spirit of the season with the help of her childhood crush, Benn.
While we have a dynamic cast of characters aligned with our favorite Hallmark tropes, it's Carson City that steals the show.
How this made-for-marketing film came to life
During a workshop with Visit Carson City, we reviewed the holiday movie formula and decided on the core idea. We then selected key attractions to feature:
- Nevada State Railroad Museum
- Nevada State Museum
- Silver Saddle Ranch
- Brewery Arts Center
- Kit Carson Trail
- Bob McFadden Plaza
- Northern Nevada Coin
- The Fox Brewery & Pub
- Nashville Social Club
- L.A. Bakery
- Scoups Ice Cream & Soup Bar
- Nevada State Capitol Building
- Silver & Snowflake Festival of Lights
Our script told a charming story of spending time in Carson City, blending classic Lifetime/Hallmark tropes with destination promotion.
Ready to see the movie for yourself? Check it out!
Making a plan and checking it twice
Thinking ahead about how to describe and use the movie content across platforms was critical. We incorporated scenes extended beyond holiday themes, knowing this campaign would run through March.
With a 14-minute, made-for-marketing film, we launched an integrated campaign that made it easy for travelers to picture themselves in Carson City:
- A travel itinerary inspired by film locations
- Paid digital ads and a remarketing series
- PR outreach to niche and mainstream media, along with podcasts that review Hallmark movies, securing 548 placements
- Email marketing
- An activation: red carpet premiere where the movie cast mingled with guests, key stakeholders, and media
- Organic social media content, including an influencer partnership
- Branded collateral, like a snowglobe, movie poster, and tree ornament
On the big screen
We kicked the campaign off with dual premieres of A Winter’s Charm in Carson City: one for key stakeholders and government officials and another for the general public.
Guests stepped onto a festive red carpet in a room filled with the aroma of buttery popcorn and the sounds of laughter. The cast and local attendees came together to celebrate this project, share heartfelt moments, and snap photos in front of a branded backdrop.
Box office numbers: the results
A Winter’s Charm in Carson City was released on YouTube and, just after one week, it received over 5,000 views with a 8.74% video completion rate. Comments came from California all the way to Brazil.
It was crowned Best Seasonal Marketing Campaign at the eTSY Awards and won platinum for Hermes Creative Awards. Additionally, the movie earned several awards at American Advertising Federation (AAF)’s ADDYs:
- Best of Branded Content
- Consumer Campaign
- Copywriting
- Judges’ Choice
- People’s Choice
Long story short
Go all in on the big idea—and make it a team sport. Because when everyone’s on the same sled, trust carries you further down the hill.
We think Lydia Beck, Visit Carson City’s Marketing & PR Manager, said it best: “When you hire creative people, vet them well and don’t squander or try to reign in the creativity. Shoot for the moon then adjust—otherwise, what’s the point?!”
This campaign was the result of many talented and collaborative individuals saying “yes” to possibility. Working on this project truly felt like the movies when the small-town community comes together to save the holiday.
We’re raising mugs of hot cocoa to all of you:
- Lydia Beck, Marketing & PR Manager at Visit Carson City, eMBA
- David Peterson, Visit Carson City’s Executive Director
- Zach Bragdon, Visit Carson City’s Multi Media Content Coordinator
- Three Sticks Productions
- Shelby Burns (@shelbssays)
- Shelby Holte (@shelbyholte)
- Carson City’s business owners
- The Carson City Culture and Tourism Authority board members
Brought to you by...
Sarah Polito
Ryan Sullivan
Kacey Fowler
Vin Gonzalez
Jenna Atwater
Kyla Hutchison
Elaine Morrison
Jessie Sanchez
Olive Giner
Nicole Shearer
Logan Schauer
Sara Robbins
Laura Davis
Isabel Williams
Shyene Joubert
Giving Carson City its close‑up
Winter in Carson City offers coziness and charm to the max. Despite this, it was the season that saw the biggest dip in visitation. Luckily, we knew how to make Nevada’s capital the main character in a totally unique way.
The big idea
Everyone—whether they admit it or not—loves holiday movies. But the more important (err, actual) research we uncovered was that travelers are interested in visiting small towns. So why not create one that stars Carson City? We wrote and produced a made-for-marketing film that captured everything a visitor could fall for: charm, history, and a little bit of winter magic. We must’ve started a trend, too… Lookin’ at you, Chili’s.
Execution, from script to spotlight
We brought the movie to life with a fully integrated campaign that included two red-carpet premieres, PR outreach, digital ads, an influencer partnership, emails, social content, and even a travel itinerary inspired by the film’s locations.
Awareness spurred action
The response—from premiere guests to online audiences—was proof that Carson City’s story connected in all the right ways. This story helped turn curiosity into actual visits (162% year-over-year increase in lodging referrals sitewide in a 5-month period).
Grab your popcorn
Now that you know everything that went into creating this award-winning, integrated campaign, check out the made-for-marketing video above! Warning: It might just make you want to visit Carson City.
