Holdfast /Renewed Gratitude
Discover Long Island’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
“HoldFast” is a term that mariners use when bearing down and fighting a storm. Discover Long Island’s VP of Marketing had come up with the concept to use this as an analogy as the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it also resonates to Long Islanders. While travel was paused and marketing efforts shifted focus from visitors to locals, we knew we wanted to grab the emotional aspect to our local residents. The entire campaign included a logo design, video production, digital marketing, social media livestreams, retail merchandise, zoom backgrounds, and press.
Logo Design
Using Discover Long Island brand colors and keeping with the theme, the nautical knot reflects strength and togetherness, reflective of the tight-knit community of Long Island, sticking together through a difficult time. The hashtag version was used to encourage others to share the message across platforms and spread it as a symbol of hope.
Video Production
The original #HoldFast Video and our followup video which we called “Renewed Gratitude” were both created using footage, B-roll, and video clips we already had from previous campaigns. I personally combed through hours of footage, selecting each clip, selecting music, and editing the videos. The first video was an immediate response to the pandemic. The second was a reflection of what we had been through, remembering the “important things”, and hope for recovery.
#HoldFast Long Island. Discover Long Island. Published March 30, 2020.
Renewed Gratitude. Discover Long Island. Published May 18, 2020
Press
The #HoldFast campaign and video received local and national recognition. It was featured in a Forbes list of Inspiring Travel videos and ran on News 12 Long Island throughout the start of the pandemic. The two videos received a combined total of over 80K views on social media.
The logo was used extensively throughout the pandemic. Most notably on our “#HoldFast” T-shirts, whose proceeds went to “The Above and Beyond Foundation” to support hospitality workers.
