Coastal Mississippi Increases Visibility Through Trusted Association Media
How a premier destination stayed top of mind with meeting planners using a focused, multi-channel campaign.
Coastal Mississippi is a regional tourism organization representing the tri-county coastal region of Mississippi, known as The Secret Coast. The destination promotes the area’s beaches, meeting venues, and vibrant coastal culture to travelers and meeting planners throughout the southeast.
To maintain visibility with decision-makers in neighboring Louisiana and surrounding markets, Coastal Mississippi partnered with Naylor to advertise through the Louisiana Society of Association Executives (LSAE) and Southeast Tourism Society (STS).
“Our marketing goals were to increase awareness and drive engagement for Coastal Mississippi among association members in Louisiana and surrounding markets,” said Jana Bell, President at Maris, West & Baker (MWB), a creative agency focused on positive-impact brands.
Advertising through association media gave the team: “Direct access to a highly relevant, trusted audience we could not easily reach through broader channels,” Jana noted.
Building a Multi-Channel Strategy
To position Coastal Mississippi as both a premier leisure and meetings destination, MWB and Naylor developed a multi-channel campaign combining print and digital strategies.
Full-page, full-color ads in LSAE’s biannual magazine and annual roster established a strong visual presence. Digital placements included targeted display ads and sponsored content designed to drive engagement and website traffic. The sponsored content email achieved a 50% open rate and 102% total opens, well above industry benchmarks.
Rather than a one-time effort, the campaign was part of a broader strategy to sustain awareness in key feeder markets. Collaboration with Debbi McClanahan, their Naylor representative, ensured a smooth process.
“Debbi made the process seamless with clear timelines, creative specs, and helpful recommendations,” Jana shared.
Turning Visibility into Results
The integrated campaign demonstrated the impact of pairing print visibility with digital precision. Digital placements drove measurable traffic to Coastal Mississippi’s website, while print ads sparked conversations and reinforced brand visibility across the industry.
“We saw strong engagement with both the print and digital placements, including traffic to our website from the digital ads and positive feedback from industry colleagues who saw our print presence,” Jana said.
“For us, success was defined not only by clicks and inquiries but also by staying top of mind with this influential audience. Compared to other campaigns, the quality and relevance of the leads were high because of the targeted nature of the association’s readership,” Jana added.
The Value of Association Media
Coastal Mississippi’s campaign showed how association-based advertising combines reach with relevance. Partnering with respected organizations like LSAE and STS put the destination in front of exactly the right audience.
“The audience was exactly who we wanted to reach, and the alignment with the association enhanced our brand’s credibility,” Jana noted.
With a highly engaged readership, the placement carried even more weight.
“Being featured alongside content that members actively read and trust amplified our message,” she said.
That built-in trust sets association media apart, connecting advertisers with professionals who are already engaged and receptive.
A Seamless Partnership
Reflecting on the campaign, Jana emphasized the ease of collaboration and lasting impact:
“Working with Naylor and Debbi has been an excellent experience. The process was easy, the placements were high quality, and the results reinforced the value of association-based advertising.”
Through this mix of targeted print and digital placements, Coastal Mississippi successfully built awareness, maintained visibility, and strengthened its connection with key professional audiences.
Making Association Media Work for You
For marketers targeting specific professional audiences, association media offers a proven path to awareness and engagement.
“I would absolutely use association media again as part of our marketing mix, especially for campaigns targeting niche professional audiences. We feel very confident recommending it to other marketers who want high quality, engaged decision-makers in a specific industry,” Jana said.
Through strategic placements across print and digital channels, Coastal Mississippi maintained visibility and drove meaningful engagement among the audiences that matter most.