In Syracuse and Central New York, winter is the off-season for tourism. But instead of downplaying the snowy reality, tourism leaders embraced it in a new winter campaign. Visit Syracuse engaged Break The Ice Media (BTI) to develop and execute a PR campaign promoting Syracuse as the “Official Home of Winter.” The campaign irreverently redefines the tourism calendar as “winter” and “not winter” while humorously positioning CNY as a fun-loving destination in all seasons.

Prior to establishing the “Official Home of Winter,” we needed to build the case for why winter would need a home and establish Syracuse and CNY as the best place for the season to live. Teaser videos were released weekly on Visit Syracuse's social media accounts and established “Winter” as a character, who is homeless. He’s not a bum, but he’s been made to feel like one. He’s a genuinely nice guy who has been generally misunderstood as a hassle if not a hazard.

The interview-style, sarcastic videos were set in a café and familiarized viewers with Winter – a burly, lumberjack-esque, young individual looking to be appreciated for his frosty fun. 

After realizing he was unwanted by sunny cities, Winter broke out the maps and began searching for a new home – a place where people were excited by cold and snow.

Winter chose Syracuse as his official home, because the residents don’t hide from the snow – they bundle up and jump right in. This video was a teaser leading up to a press conference that took place a few days after it was released, where “Winter” himself moved all his belongings to Syracuse and announced it as his official home.

And one final video for a good laugh.