THE CREATIVITY ISSUE: Paradise Advertising

Agency: Paradise Advertising

Client: Space Florida

Market: U.S., Canada, England and Germany

The space shuttle no longer launches from Kennedy Space Center.

Yet the space program in Florida remains vibrant.

To get that message out, Space Florida connected with Paradise Advertising in St. Petersburg to develop a campaign that highlights the fact that there are now more launches from Florida than ever before. The multimedia campaign, to reach a global audience, was also designed to tout Florida as a premier destination to experience the thrill of rocket launches.
Grabbing the iconic phrase “we are go” from the radio communications of mission control during a launch, Paradise created a social media tag of “WeAreGoFL.”

“We've tapped into instantly recognizable ideas that are the backbone of America: ingenuity, idealism and innovation,” says Paradise Chief Creative Officer Brad Cohn.

The original assignment was to promote space tourism. Because technology from Space X and Virgin Galactic are still in development, Paradise instead focused on launches.

“Basically, come experience the power and majesty of a launch now,” Cohn says. “And once the technology is ready, we will start to tease the 'amusement park-like ride' of going into space.'

Mike Rowe, host of CNN's “Somebody's Gotta Do It” and Discovery's “Dirty Jobs,” narrates the campaign videos. Rowe was chosen because he's the “de facto voice of American ingenuity and tenacity,” says Cohn, and he's familiar to both space enthusiasts and vacationing families looking for educational opportunities in Central Florida.

Follow Michael Hinman on Twitter @BizTampaBay

More work from Paradise Advertising's Space Florida campaign: