TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Turning history into a personal adventure
The Texas Historical Commission wanted to bring new energy to its statewide heritage tourism initiative. Spread across ten regional organizations and thousands of historic sites, the program lacked a unifying idea that could inspire modern travelers.
The State needed a fresh, relevant message that transcended Texas stereotypes. And while Texas claims countless historical eras from Spanish exploration to the oil boom to NASA, folks didn't want a classroom lesson.
The task wasn’t to make our history more educational. Rather, it needed to be more irresistible. That insight became the foundation of our positioning:
Texas history isn't something to study. It's something to experience personally.
The State needed a fresh, relevant message that transcended Texas stereotypes. And while Texas claims countless historical eras from Spanish exploration to the oil boom to NASA, folks didn't want a classroom lesson.
The task wasn’t to make our history more educational. Rather, it needed to be more irresistible. That insight became the foundation of our positioning:
Texas history isn't something to study. It's something to experience personally.
As part of the Sanders\Wingo team, I helped develop Texas Time Travel, a brand platform that reframed Texas history as an opportunity for exploration. Instead of asking visitors to study Texas history, we invited them to experience it through road trips, themed itineraries and unexpected discoveries across the state.
The Texas Time Travel website became the hub of that opportunity, allowing travelers to explore by region, historical era, theme, or even the free time they had available. The platform also unified and cross-indexed all ten Texas Heritage Trail Region websites, creating one connected statewide experience.
The Texas Time Travel website became the hub of that opportunity, allowing travelers to explore by region, historical era, theme, or even the free time they had available. The platform also unified and cross-indexed all ten Texas Heritage Trail Region websites, creating one connected statewide experience.
Premiering in the Texas 175th Anniversary issue of Texas Monthly, the platform expanded across print, digital, mobile experiences and website takeovers, giving the Texas Historical Commission a single, unified voice for promoting heritage tourism statewide.
More than a decade later, Texas Time Travel remains the public face of the program, helping drive more than 300 million campaign impressions and a nearly 14% increase in heritage tourism across participating sites.
More than a decade later, Texas Time Travel remains the public face of the program, helping drive more than 300 million campaign impressions and a nearly 14% increase in heritage tourism across participating sites.
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