Seeking a legacy project that would continue for many years to come and serve as a recognizable brand presence throughout the state, the Almost Heaven swings were born. Launched in 2022 with just nine swings, these larger than life photo-ops quickly gained a cult-following and took on a life of their own. In late 2025, with nearly 50 swings installed across the state, we were seeking a way to track and report on the success of this previously analog campaign. We went to Bandwango, the software development partners who helped us launch the Waterfall Trail, and asked them to create a new offering that would turn these swings into a bingo game, taking on the name of Almost Heaven SWINGO (swings + bingo = SWINGO).
Our partners at Bandwango were eager to help us bring this vision to life. After months of development and collaboration, a digital bingo board, complete with GPS-enabled check-ins was created. As the tech came into place, we created a visual identity that would turn the new development into an instantly recognizable part of the West Virginia Tourism brand. Inspired by the Almost Heaven script that has served as a throughline in our brand for over 7 years, we introduced white-line style iconography into many of our advertising placements. Using the white-line style, we developed iconography that pulled from natural elements of the state and would serve as the design of each square on the digital bingo board.
Building off the success and popularity of the Waterfall Trail prizes, we knew that it was important to use surprise and delight tactics to encourage SWINGO participation. Playing into the cult-following the swings had amassed, an official superfan sticker could be earned by players who achieved a 5-across bingo. As a token of appreciation for players who covered all of the spaces on their board, we created a magnetic photo frame and entered them into a drawing for the chance to select the next Almost Heaven swing location – a request we had seen all across social media since the launch of the original 9 swings.
To convert our brand loyalists and Almost Heaven swing-fanatics into SWINGO players, we identified an existing touchpoint that we could tag the program onto: our West Virginia Vacation Guides. Delivered, at their request, to over 100K consumers across the world each year, we designed a rack card that would be slipped in with each delivery. Leading with the white line style, the card inspires travelers to picture themselves at an Almost Heaven swing and promotes an opportunity to win prizes.
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