The rebranding effort for the Historic Seaport at Key West Bight is under way with the launch of a website and social media campaign. The Key West Bight Management Board received a progress report from public relations firm Adept at its meeting Wednesday night at Old City Hall.
The website was recently launched after a three-week trial run and features contact information, map location and website links to each of the area’s restaurants, hotels, businesses and attractions.
It also features an events calendar for the area and will soon include a video introduction, which the board viewed, map directory and monthly blog, according to Adept Managing Partner, Dana Pollitt. “We’re very excited; it’s very modern,” Pollitt said.
The district has a one-year advertising contract with the Key West International Airport, with digital signage displayed on three LED screens in the arrival areas. The screens have Quick Response Code availability, which allows visitors to obtain promotions and discounts from the displays, Pollitt said. The company also reshot the informational video shown on the ferry boats using 4K resolution — the video was previously shown on VHS tape — along with additional footage of the area for future use, Pollitt said.
The social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram kicked off in the early summer and currently has approximately 1,300 followers, he said. “Our intent is to make the Key West seaport a gateway to everything Key West,” Pollitt told the board. “We want the historic seaport to come up first (so visitors can) plan what you’re going to see and what you’re going to do.”
Pollitt also discussed other potential advertising options for the Bight including joining ad campaigns in cities around the country, using text message promotions for free trips to Key West and hiring a local artist to build an archway entrance to the area. Adept has a three-year marketing services contract with the district at $80,000 annually. The new website can be found at http://www.keywesthistoricseaport.com.
The board also approved a $587,010 contract with D.N. Higgins, Inc. for structural repairs to the historic Thompson Fish House. The board budgeted $680,000 for the project, according to Port and Marina Services Director Doug Bradshaw. “We’re finally going to get this project going,” he said.