Destination Cleveland 2017 Campaign

Senior Art Director

It’s a thrill to work on the Destination Cleveland account, because I was a designer at the former Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland when I was fresh out of grad school. In 2017, the client wanted to pinpoint Millennials living in Chicago, Detroit and Toronto, delivering a media mix that included digital, mobile, video, audio, social and outdoor. Our goal was to grab these savvy travelers where they live, work and play, using our brand voice to drive them to city-specific landing pages, which would tailor things to do in Cleveland according to our research. The headlines Mark Szczepanik and I pitched the client were so well received, in fact, that they decided to make their previously-planned hero headlines — a variation on their “Never flashy. Never trendy. Never perfect. Never meant to be.” brand promise — secondary in the campaign. We pitched so many fun lines, yet, with only a few spots available, had to leave some on the cutting-room floor. Below the chosen creative to the right, however, you can see the best-of-the-rest, including two lines Mark still keeps pasted to a makeshift Wall of Fame.

Words: Mark Szczepanik & Joseph Hughes
Account: Erin Reif &
Lauren McPherson
Agency: Adcom
Client: Destination Cleveland

Click each ad to enlarge

Chicago Hero Creative

Chicago Alt Headline

Detroit Hero Creative

Detroit Alt Headlines

Toronto Hero Creative

Toronto Alt Headlines

Beer-Themed Hero Creative

Food-Themed Hero Creative

The 2017 Great American Beer Festival took place in Denver, home to the NFL's Broncos. Legendary Denver quarterback John Elway's repeated exploits versus the Browns became the subject of this cutting-room floor concept's headline.

Forget everything you've heard about the Cuyahoga River catching fire in 1969. Only a select few know the truth, which remained a secret until Mark Szczepanik and I attempted to blow the lid off of the conspiracy with this cutting-room floor headline.