Miami Beach is Breaking Up with Spring Break

Miami Beach has struggled with college spring break for years and in 2023 it became an unsafe relationship with record breaking crime. After previous unsuccessful attempts of authoritative messaging we tried something different. We went after their heartbreak, creating a PSA campaign that humanized the unsafe relationship between spring break and Miami Beach.
Spring Break is a U.S. tradition where every March college students go on vacation, usually to warm weather cities. Miami Beach, with its already well established party city reputation, has been a top spring break destination for decades and has attracted millions of spring breakers.

The 2024 campaign took a firm, direct, and relatable stance, framing the issue as a toxic relationship. Using the breakup metaphor, the message was clear: “It’s not us, it’s you.” The campaign aimed to dissuade spring breakers through emotional resonance rather than authority.

Miami Beach enforced strict regulations, including curfews, bag checks, restricted beach access, increased parking fees, sobriety checkpoints, and strong police enforcement.

The campaign leveraged the emotional decision-making of 18-25-year-olds, particularly the impact of negative emotions like rejection, which many college students can relate to from personal experience.

The campaign featured a viral video, out-of-home advertising, and social media content, using language and visuals relatable to young adults. It highlighted concrete measures like DUI checkpoints and increased police presence.

Overall the campaign garnered 19.8 billion impressions, with a significant drop in felony and visitor arrests, and zero shootings or deaths. It received positive reactions from city officials, celebrities, and the public, marking a successful and safer spring break.

By humanizing the problem and appealing to emotions, the campaign effectively changed behavior, making Miami Beach safer during spring break.