National Park Campaign Targets Millennial Travelers

Apr 13, 2015

What:
The National Park Service and National Park Foundation have announced the launch of “Find Your Park,” a public awareness and education campaign that celebrates the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016. The campaign, promoted in part by honorary co-chairs Michelle Obama and Laura Bush, aims to engage young Americans and encourage them to connect with their favorite parks and public lands.

Why It Matters:
While 80 percent of Americans have heard of the National Park Service, only 38 percent are at all familiar with the organization and everything it does, according to a study conducted by Hall & Partners on behalf of the National Park Foundation. Find Your Park is targeting millennials to boost their awareness of and help them find their personal connection to the country’s 407 national parks. Travelers can socialize their stories with #FindYourPark.

Fast Facts:
- Beyond landscapes, the campaign also highlights historical, urban, and cultural parks, as well as National Park Service programs that protect, preserve and share nature, culture and history in communities nationwide.

- To promote the campaign, “Centennial Ambassadors,” including scientist Bill Nye, actress Bella Thorne, actress Roselyn Sanchez, television personality Terrence J. and singer/songwriter and LGBT advocate Mary Lambert, have filmed and shared their own personal national park story at different places across the country.

- Companies supporting the National Park Foundation’s Find Your Park campaign include American Express, Budweiser, Subaru, REI, Humana and Disney. Additional partners include Coleman, Coca-Cola and Accenture.

- The National Park Foundation is working with Grey NY, a leading advertising and communications agency, to develop and implement Find Your Park. The integrated campaign will include a stream of programs, exhibits, events and public activities throughout 2015 and 2016.

What They Are Saying:
“I am thrilled to be serving as the honorary co-chair of the National Parks centennial celebration with Laura Bush,” said Obama, who recently filmed her Find Your Park story, which highlighted President’s Park, home to the White House, and her family’s connection to one of the newest national parks, Pullman National Monument in Chicago. “I look forward to celebrating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary and encouraging people across the country to ‘Find Your Park,’ whether it’s in your backyard, in your hometown or in one of our beautiful national parks.”

“From Acadia National Park on the East Coast to Yosemite on the West, from Glacier National Park in the North to Big Bend in the South, I’ve collected national parks like stamps,” said Laura Bush. “I’ve even lived in a national park, the White House. Our national parks are the treasures of our country.”