PB&'s New Visit Seattle Campaign Will Take You on a Multisensory Journey
Visit Seattle announced today the launch of its newest initiative aimed at engaging visitors in the inimitable stories and history behind the city, titled Project Five by Five. At the center of the initiative is a content series that, in partnership with SundanceTV, invited five, highly regarded filmmakers to Seattle to create a short film that brought their unique perspective on the city to life; each film was inspired by one of the five senses. The series is being screened today at SundanceTV HQ, alongside a panel with the filmmakers, and will live on Sundance.TV – marking the first time a destination marketing organisation has released films on this platform.
In support of the series, Visit Seattle will also host a post-panel party, featuring Seattle staples from local celebrity chefs Josh Henderson and Jason Stratton of Huxley Wallace Collective and Mamnoon/Mbar, respectively and music from Allen Stone. Following its debut, the series will live online at VisitSeattle.TV and Visit Seattle’s YouTube channel, and will be promoted through social and paid digital media content.
“No ads, no key messages, just entertainment-based content that unpacks what makes the city special, from different points of view. These films show off our culture, local icons and stories - offering people a real chance to engage with the rich history of Seattle,” said Tom Norwalk, CEO of Visit Seattle. “We are excited about partnering with PB&. They offer a unique, collaborative experience and bring strategically-driven ideas that demonstrate the appeal of Seattle in a fresh way.”
This series is the first major piece of work to come out of independent creative shop PB&, which is now officially open following a quiet launch late last year. Founded by Britt Peterson Fero and Pete Anderson, formally of Publicis and Cole & Weber respectively, the Seattle-based agency has adopted a unique model that marries strategy and production disciplines together to quickly turn strategic questions and insights into paths of action for brands. Since launch, PB& has retained several clients in addition to Visit Seattle, including Providence Health Systems and entertainment-meets-health brand, Sqord. Fero holds the title of Principal and Anderson has taken on the role of Head of Content Production.
"We live and operate in a world where categories, culture and companies are becoming more complex every day. Being in this industry for over two decades, Pete and I have had a front row seat to these major shifts and understand both consumers’ need for experiences that add value to their lives and brands’ need for agile solutions to exceed those expectations. PB& is our answer to the type of nimble, modern-day partner that brands need,” said Fero. “Our partnership and work with Visit Seattle is the perfect, first proof point to show off the type of solutions we can deliver for a client, quickly.”
In addition to this initiative, PB& has been working to curate other content experiences and partnerships on behalf of Visit Seattle which will roll out through 2017, including the +Play initiative which officially launched on January 18. Focused on Seattle’s diverse set of multi-sensory museums, the +Play series invites people to go beyond the typical passive, one-dimensional experience, and come “play” during Seattle Museum Month. From the Museum of Flight to Seattle Art Museum - each episode brings a different institution to life with local children as the guide.
