INDUSTRY:
Non-Profit

SERVICES:
– Strategic Planning
– Campaign Creative Concepting & Development
– Content Strategy & Messaging
– Copywriting
– Graphic Design
– Digital Marketing
– Social Media Strategy

When the Susquehanna National Heritage Area (SNHA) began planning a tourism promotion campaign tied to America’s 250th anniversary celebration in 2026, the organization sought a strategic partner to help shape both the vision and execution. Through a grant opportunity supported by Explore York, SNHA aimed to increase awareness of the region among visitors living outside a 50-mile radius, encouraging overnight stays and generating economic impact across the communities it serves in York and Lancaster counties.

GRIT’s involvement began even before the grant was awarded. Our team provided a letter of support and preliminary campaign recommendations that outlined a strategic approach to audience targeting, storytelling, and digital promotion. Following the successful grant award, we were honored and excited to partner with SNHA to bring that vision to life.

Creating a Campaign Built Around Exploration

Working closely with the SNHA team, GRIT helped develop and launch Where History Runs Deep, a tourism campaign that showcases the region’s rich heritage, cultural experiences, and natural beauty through the lens of exploration. The campaign was built around four themed itineraries that encourage visitors to discover the stories, places, and experiences that make the Heritage Area unique. Rather than creating a short-term promotional effort focused solely on the single 250^th milestone year, the goal was to establish a flexible campaign platform that could support regional storytelling and tourism marketing for years to come.

Visually, the campaign blends Americana-inspired design elements with SNHA’s established brand identity. Photography and video were intentionally placed at the center of the creative approach, inviting prospective visitors to imagine themselves experiencing the region firsthand while reinforcing the campaign’s guiding message: “Follow the Footsteps. Experience the Stories.”

Building a Digital Experience Designed to Inspire Travel

To support campaign engagement, GRIT designed and developed a dedicated online campaign hub within SNHA’s existing website. The project included the creation of two new page templates that significantly expanded the organization’s storytelling capabilities while creating a more engaging user experience for prospective visitors.

The digital experience was designed to encourage exploration and trip planning. Existing photography and video assets from SNHA’s library of assets were curated into a cornerstone campaign video. At the same time, a custom interactive quiz helps visitors identify the itinerary experience that best aligns with their interests. Automated follow-up emails then deliver tailored recommendations based on each user’s results, helping move audiences from inspiration to action.

Throughout development, special attention was paid to user experience, measurement, and reporting capabilities to support both campaign optimization and grant compliance requirements.

Launching a Targeted Tourism Marketing Campaign

With the campaign foundation in place, GRIT launched a comprehensive digital advertising strategy designed to reach heritage, history, and cultural travelers across three primary target regions: the Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia market, the Pittsburgh and Eastern Ohio region, and Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The campaign leverages both Meta and YouTube advertising, combining broad awareness messaging with creative tailored to each itinerary theme. Audience targeting was strategically layered with interest-based signals to help connect with travelers most likely to engage with the region’s unique experiences.

Looking Ahead: Results Coming Soon

As of this writing, campaign advertising has recently launched and remains active. The GRIT team looks forward to sharing future performance insights as data becomes available and the campaign continues to connect new audiences with the stories, history, and experiences that make the Susquehanna National Heritage Area a destination worth exploring.