Meet the Visit Sarasota County Brand

We know what makes the Sarasota area such a special place to share with people from all over the world, and here’s where we share that knowledge with you!

The content and images on this page are for you—local business partners, travel media, tour operators and travel agents—to download and share to spread the stories of Sarasota County. 

Looking for more? Reach out to us at [email protected].

Send Us Your Press Releases

We want to know what’s going on with you so we can promote your happenings in our outreach. Add [email protected] to your distribution list so our Communications team stays up to date on what’s happening.

The “Beaches and Beyond” Brand

Sarasota County experienced so much growth between 2010 and 2015 that it felt only natural to evolve its brand as well; this was necessary to reflect the changes to the area and to ensure it stood out to travelers from other Florida coastal communities—and made them want to vacation here.

The Process

For more than a year, with the guidance of our agency partner Miles Partnership we conducted focus groups in known target markets, including New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C.—with past and potential visitors. We also invited residents as well as tourism industry partners to participate in our research, as we knew their buy-in was key. Our research also took the form of online surveys in which we asked consumers what they thought and felt when they thought of Sarasota—a process known as emotional mapping.

“Feel at Ease”

The research revealed that compared with other beach destinations, Sarasota feels more inviting—a place visitors are free to vacation as they please without pressure to fit in or adhere to a schedule.

In short, Sarasota is a place where visitors feel at ease.

This became the promise of our new brand. It influenced the development of the Visit Sarasota logo, which has multiple variations including “Beaches and Beyond” for consumers and “County” for stakeholders who feel united by the designation. “Feel at Ease” is key when we plan and execute photo shoots and video productions, when we build print and digital ads for media placements, and when we develop collateral to support our local industry.

Our new Visit Sarasota brand has been in-market since Fall 2016. Response from consumers and our peers has been positive, with increases in economic impact and support from our constituency, and we continue to solicit feedback as we develop campaigns and creative to ensure our messaging and destination remain top of mind.

Creative Campaigns

While the logo and promise consistent, building brand recognition for the destination, we create new campaigns to align with industry and consumer trends as well as to take advantage of new technologies and creative techniques.

Visit Sarasota’s latest creative campaign combines immersive hero photography, close-up detail shots, line drawings and evocative copy to take consumers on a sensory journey across the page and screen. We use this campaign when appealing to all audiences—whether interested in beaches, outdoors & nature, arts & culture, meetings & events, sports or relocation—to maintain consistency.