‘Where My Heart Sings’ - Branson unveils $6.7M data-driven marketing plan championing Faith, Family, Flag and Fun
- Gary J. Groman
- 52 minutes ago
- 3 min read
During its October 14, 2025, meeting, the Branson Board of Aldermen (Board) received a report on the 2026 marketing plan presented by Heather Herman, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer with the Chamber/CVB. Herman unveiled a comprehensive data-driven marketing plan aiming to boost tourism, increase visitors’ spending significantly, and champion Branson’s core values of faith, family, flag and fun.
See images and one of the videos featuring "Where My Heart Sings"
She said that the marketing team is highly focused on integrating these values into its work. She went on to say that the sales team’s aggressive goal for 2026 is to “make sure that we meet the right people who want to come to Branson for the right reasons and who match our core values.”
Herman points out that these values are prominent in the messaging. For example, when discussing the holiday campaign, the topic of faith arose. She confirmed that the Christmas advertisements heavily feature faith. In fact, specific shots showing Mary and Joseph holding the baby Jesus, as well as scenes from shows like Sight and Sound, were intentionally kept in the video creative, even after some internal suggestions to remove them.
Beyond holiday ads, the team is aggressively pursuing the faith market year-round. An example of this focus is successfully getting the Connect South Faith Conference, scheduled for November 2026. Branson initially passed on this conference due to budget constraints. However, through a [miraculous] series of events on the Connect Faith team’s part, Branson was able to negotiate an extremely favorable contract. In hosting the conference, Branson will be showcased to approximately 400 key operators, agents and planners in the faith market.
In developing the 2026 marketing plan, the marketing team recognized that focusing too narrowly on specific “activities” would result in missing out on large segments of travelers. The 2026 plan fundamentally changes how Branson identifies potential visitors. Instead of focusing advertising dollars solely on specific interests, such as people who like live music or enjoy the outdoors, etc., the new strategy targets a broad audience, or “demographics,” which are groups of potential visitors.
Herman said that this includes four groups: Families (households with children 17 or younger), millennials, empty nesters and seniors. By structuring advertising this way, the plan ensures that all targeted groups receive information about all the activities Branson has to offer. Because families, millennials, empty nesters and seniors are often interested in a wide variety of activities—not just one specific thing—this streamlined targeted approach should be much more effective.
“Where My Heart Sings” is the centerpiece of the plan. It highlights Branson as lively, fun and entertaining, with something for everyone to do. The campaign features music and visuals designed to capture the emotional feeling of being in Branson, appealing to all age segments. The plan is aggressive and relies on social media, digital video, broadcast television and email marketing, while utilizing cutting-edge tools like AI for trip planning integration. The substantial funding of $6,784,815 dedicated to supporting the plan, targeting key demographics across all platforms and channels, was approved by the Tourism Community Enhancement District (TCED).
The presentation of the marketing plan received widespread enthusiasm from the Board. The comments of Alderman Marshall Howden are representative of that enthusiasm and were “echoed” by other board members and Mayor Larry Milton.
Howden expressed strong emotion regarding the positive changes in the marketing approach. He said that it is rare, especially in government, to get everything one asks for, but that is exactly how he felt about the new plan. He called the “Where My Heart Sings” campaign a “brilliant way” to encapsulate everything Branson offers and set it to a heartfelt song.
He thanked Heather and the leadership team for what he termed a “tremendous improvement.” He pointed out that the plan successfully recognizes the city’s history and core values while confidently launching it into the future. He notes that the live music shows, which he has long advocated for, have been placed in the respectful position where they “always should have been.” Marshall concluded by stating he was “thrilled” with the direction the marketing of Branson is going.