Digital Marketing Done Right: 5 Campaigns from Around Wichita
Local Highlights That Prove Innovation Thrives in the Heartland
As digital marketers, we’re always scanning the horizon for inspiration—and sometimes, the best ideas come from right in our own backyard. Wichita may be known for aviation and college basketball, but it’s also home to some seriously creative campaigns that nail the perfect balance of local flavor, community engagement, and marketing strategy. Whether you’re running a small agency or managing digital for a larger brand, here are five standout campaigns from Wichita that brought the city together—and gave us all something to learn from.
1. Wichita.gov’s Drought Duck: Conservation Gets Quirky
When last summer's drought hit Kansas, the City of Wichita took an unexpected route to get the message out: enter Delta the Drought Duck. This charming (and slightly goofy) duck mascot made regular appearances across social media, engaging residents with humor and heart while reminding them to conserve water. The campaign quickly gained traction, with Delta’s most popular video racking up over 4,000 views on TikTok and 2,000 on Instagram, proving that even municipal messaging can go viral when it's wrapped in the right creative. It’s a great example of how community involvement, even in something as serious as water conservation, can be boosted by a fun and relatable approach that resonates with locals.
2. Wichita by EB & The Kansas Gastronomist: 52 Weeks of Local Flavor
In a city with a growing food scene, two of Wichita’s most followed foodie influencers found a creative way to highlight it. Wichita by EB and The Kansas Gastronomist teamed up to give away a gift card to a local business every single Sunday in 2024—52 in total. The campaign gave visibility to a wide range of local restaurants and small businesses, from neighborhood staples to hidden gems, and each post garnered hundreds of views and interactions. It was a year-long love letter to Wichita’s food culture—and a masterclass in consistency, collaboration, and community-driven marketing.
3. The Wichita Eagle x Kansas.com: A Festival Tradition That Builds Buzz
Each year during Riverfest, The Wichita Eagle and Kansas.com team up to launch a citywide scavenger hunt, posting daily clues online that lead to a hidden medallion somewhere in Wichita. The campaign doesn’t just drive traffic to Kansas.com—it builds entire communities of amateur sleuths on Reddit and Facebook who join forces to crack the code. In 2024, the medallion was found by a local school teacher. This year, the hunt kicks off on May 29th. It’s a fantastic example of how offline events can fuel online excitement—and vice versa.
4. Sedgwick County Zoo: March Madness, But Make It Furry
This past March, the Sedgwick County Zoo jumped into basketball season with an irresistibly cute campaign. They handed out basketballs to some of their animal residents, then shared the footage on social media. Monkeys, elephants, and bison all took turns playing HORSE. The result? A fun, timely campaign that brought in likes, shares, and local love. With Wichita being the birthplace of basketball, it was the perfect way to tie in a national event with a uniquely local and lighthearted twist.
5. KAKE News Turns Power Outage Drama into Shareable Gold
Towne West Square, a once-busy shopping mall now facing tough times, made headlines (over and over again) after having its power shut off due to unpaid Evergy bills. Rather than stick to the usual reporting tone, KAKE News decided to lean into the absurdity of the situation with some cheeky coverage. The result? A news story that turned into a locally viral meme, racking up over 500 shares and giving KAKE one of its most talked-about posts of the year. It’s a great example of how traditional media can still win big when they embrace humor and local context—especially when the internet’s already buzzing.
Takeaways for Marketers
These Wichita campaigns show that impactful digital marketing doesn’t require a massive budget—just creativity, a strong sense of community, and a willingness to think differently. Using humor made serious topics like drought and power outages more approachable, while campaigns that focused on building relationships—like influencer collaborations and interactive news coverage—drew people in through genuine connection. Community involvement stood out as a major driver of engagement, whether it was highlighting local restaurants, tying into beloved city traditions, or tapping into shared passions. The takeaway? Great marketing meets people where they are, speaks their language, and brings them together.
Want to learn more about digital marketing and social media? Don’t miss this year’s Digital Wichita Summer Camp, hosted by Digital Wichita.
