Country Roads, 3D Billboards: Inside West Virginia’s Immersive Campaign To Inspire Summer Travel
John Denver might’ve taken country roads to West Virginia, but this summer, vacationers are getting there through a high-impact 3D billboard experience.
As digital fatigue sets in for many urban dwellers, West Virginia Tourism is offering a compelling alternative: a “Screen Free Summer” filled with real-world experiences. In partnership with Vistar Media, the state launched its first-ever 3D digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaign across New York City and Philadelphia this spring and summer, encouraging city residents to unplug and escape into the natural beauty of West Virginia.
We connected with Chelsea Ruby, cabinet secretary at West Virginia Tourism, and Raj Lala, vice president, US sales and development at Vistar Media, to discuss their inspiration, timing, and the deeper story behind the creative.
Q: Why did you decide to leverage 3D creative for this campaign?
Chelsea Ruby: The 3D DOOH experience creates immediate stopping power in busy urban environments where attention is scarce. “It visually demonstrates our ‘Screen Free Summer’ message (developed in collaboration with Miles Partnerships and Adgenuity) by having elements break free from digital confines—just as we’re inviting visitors to do.” This approach supports our goal of boosting brand awareness in key growth markets. The unexpected wonder people feel seeing our 3D display mirrors the same feeling they’ll experience discovering West Virginia’s natural landscapes.
Raj Lala: In the past few years, Vistar has gained extensive experience running media in the tourism sector. In many of those campaigns, we mainly worked with creative assets provided to us by partners, which worked well. But as we’ve developed our own creative studio practice, we’ve prioritized working with groups that wanted to push the boundaries creatively and truly stand out in a crowded media environment.
3D creative was one of the concepts our team brought to the table with West Virginia Tourism, and we couldn’t be more excited that they decided to be one of the first-to-market groups in their vertical to do this at scale programmatically.
Q: What made this moment the right time to try something more high-impact like 3D creative?
Chelsea Ruby: This summer campaign strategically targets the prime booking window when families are finalizing vacation plans for our peak seasons. The attention-grabbing 3D creative doesn’t just build awareness—it inspires action at this critical decision point. West Virginia is home to truly magical natural landscapes and elements that are sure to appeal to big city natives seeking an authentic escape from their urban surroundings.
Raj Lala: The travel industry is highly competitive right now in terms of attracting visitors to new destinations. Major domestic U.S. destinations are now competing with affordable international getaways, making it more critical than ever to stand out in advertising. West Virginia Tourism does an incredible job in tapping into a truly authentic destination experience that has something to offer for every type of traveler.
Q: What message or feeling were you hoping to convey with the 3D execution?
Chelsea Ruby: We wanted to show that West Virginia memories aren’t just digital photos, they’re living experiences that inspire future adventures. The butterfly moving between Polaroids illustrates how one West Virginia experience naturally leads to another. Unlike entertainment trapped behind screens, West Virginia offers real, hands-on experiences.
Raj Lala: Our message was that every trip to West Virginia is a collection of unforgettable moments: hiking rugged trails, gazing out over misty mountains, feeling the rush of wild rivers, and more. These memories aren’t just snapshots; they’re connected, just like the nature that surrounds them.
In the spot, a butterfly lifts off from a Polaroid as the camera pulls back, blurring the line between past and present. In West Virginia, memories don’t stay still: they take flight, carrying you from one adventure to the next. It’s not just a place you visit; it’s a place you return to, again and again.
Q: Were there any specific inspirations behind the creative direction?
Chelsea Ruby: Two key inspirations drove our creative direction. First, the resurgence of physical photography, like Polaroids, among younger travelers who value tangible mementos over endless digital galleries. Second, West Virginia’s natural beauty, symbolized by the Monarch butterfly (our state butterfly). The combination of physical photos and fauna perfectly captures our ‘Screen Free Summer’ message: step away from digital documentation and create real-world memories. The stickers featured in our design represent the personal touches travelers add to their physical keepsakes, making each West Virginia experience uniquely their own.
Raj Lala: From a design perspective, OOH requires careful consideration of time and physical environments. Many OOH screens are located in fast-paced settings where brands have only seconds to create an impression. Other locations offer higher dwell times, allowing someone to pause, engage and take in the full branded experience.
West Virginia Tourism and Vistar Media struck the right balance with a creative approach that stands out and sticks with audiences, especially compared to more conventional efforts from other tourism brands.
Q: How does this campaign fit into your broader marketing strategy?
Chelsea Ruby: This 3D campaign elevates our visibility in key growth markets, particularly NYC and Philadelphia, where we see strong potential for increasing West Virginia tourism. The innovative approach reflects our commitment to showcasing the state’s natural beauty in unexpected ways. While generating immediate awareness, these displays also complement our ‘Screen Free Summer’ messaging by creating a memorable first impression that encourages further exploration of what West Virginia offers.
Raj Lala: OOH can anchor a brand’s core message at the broadest levels. By leveraging Vistar and tapping into a variety of OOH venue types, West Virginia Tourism maximizes high-impact awareness while also reaching people during everyday moments. This ability to reach consumers across multiple daily touchpoints can complement and drive true visitation intent across West Virginia Tourism’s lower-funnel media mix and its wider marketing strategy.
[…] According to the DOOH‑trade publication covering the campaign launch, the immersive 3‑D execution “creates immediate stopping power” in busy urban environments, and “visually demonstrates the Screen Free Summer message” in a way few tourism campaigns attempt. (OOH TODAY) […]