Powering Downtown Through Strategic Storytelling

From December through February, we led a performance-driven influencer program for Downtown Denver Partnership’s Winter in the City campaign, shaping perception and inspiring visitation by highlighting the many ways to experience downtown Denver throughout the holidays and into Q1.

Rolled out in three strategic phases, the campaign centered December on holiday markets, seasonal destinations, and NYE; shifted January toward Stock Show moments, ski season, hygge-inspired experiences, and Dry January; and closed early February with Galentine’s and Valentine’s storytelling.

Building a Seasonal Narrative for Downtown

This work was about more than seasonal promotion. Like many city centers, downtown Denver continues to navigate conversations around safety, accessibility, and foot traffic. Winter in the City provided an opportunity to highlight a fuller story: a downtown that is vibrant, walkable, and easy to explore.

The content integrated restaurants, retailers, hotels, and seasonal programming into cohesive itineraries, showing locals and visitors how to dine, shop, stay, and explore throughout the season — while reinvesting DDP funds directly back into downtown businesses.

The final creator roster blended micro and mid-tier partners alongside a few 100K+ accounts, representing core audiences including families, couples, friend groups, and solo visitors. The result was a series of targeted narratives that felt both aspirational and attainable, inviting people to rediscover downtown throughout the season.

Creator Reach and Impact

To bring this narrative to life, we partnered with 20 vetted influencers, building a combined creator audience of 724,400. The program generated more than 146,513 organic Reel views and 46,288 organic Story views, ensuring steady visibility throughout the winter season rather than a single spike of attention.

This coordinated creator presence supported marquee moments and destinations, including the Mile High Tree at the Tivoli Quad, which welcomed 380,000 unique visitors between November 21 and December 31, with an average length of stay of 73 minutes during evening activation hours. Campaign storytelling also helped fuel a 14% year-over-year increase in 16th Street traffic and contributed to 334,000 NYE visits in 2025, up 12% from pre-pandemic levels. Across Wynkoop Plaza, 1,600 people played on the Impulse see-saws, underscoring how interactive experiences and social content worked together to activate public space.

A Repeatable Model for Destination Storytelling

What began as a winter initiative now serves as a repeatable framework for destination storytelling. By combining phased campaign strategy, curated itineraries, intentional creator partnerships, and business integration, the program provides a scalable model for future seasons or other districts.

More than views alone, the campaign helped shift perception, support small businesses, and position downtown as a place people plan to visit — not just pass through.