The Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism approached us with a request to refresh and invigorate their Arkansas State Parks passport program. We’re passionate about Arkansas around here, so we were eager for the chance to encourage more people to enjoy all the free fun and adventure our state parks have to offer.
The passport’s purpose is to encourage Arkansans to gather stamps at each at each park's visitor's center as they explore the state. However, since the program was not getting as much attention as the Department had hoped, they asked us for ideas to increase the reach and appeal.
Our solution? Offer incentives! To encourage more Arkansans to get out, explore and gather stamps, we decided to spice up the passport program with a tiered reward system. From there, Club 52 was born.
When brainstorming names for the program, we wanted to create fear of missing out (FOMO), always a powerful motivator. “Club 52” refers to the 52 state parks and also suggests exclusivity. The tagline, “Get out to get in,” reflects this idea as well — you have to get out and explore Arkansas in order to get in on club rewards. The catchy alliteration and juxtaposition are just a bonus.
When designing the logo, we wanted to stay true to the brand while creating a fresh, appealing look, especially since it would feature prominently on the stickers, playing cards and t-shirts offered as rewards in the program. The colors are all from the original state parks logo, with the gradient of greens suggesting nature and park land. The diamond references both the state flag of Arkansas and Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only place in the world to dig for diamonds and keep what you find.
Once we had the concepts, it was time to put it all together. The campaign included video, radio and social media to spread the word about the program, and according to the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, it’s working. Shea Lewis, Interim Tourism Secretary, says that interest in obtaining passports and gathering stamps at Visitors Centers has never been higher.
Feeling the FOMO yet? Get out to get in! Visit any state park Visitor’s Center to pick up your passport and start earning Club 52 rewards.
