About the Role
Rewriting what vacation planning means for blind communitiesClient Tennessee Dept. of Tourist Development Office Kansas CityNashvilleWho better to describe Tennessee than its most valuable resource.Through the power of music, VML and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development are collaborating with Tennessee's greatest treasure – its songwriters – to write evocative alt text image descriptions for its tourism website to improve accessible travel."Sound Sites" is an industry-first initiative that enhances the online travel experience for blind and visually impaired visitors. Learn more here. We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to experience Tennessee’s unmatched beauty, including the millions who travel with visual impairments. Tennessee’s deep musical roots make this campaign a natural fit, and we’re proud to champion travel experiences that embrace everyone.Mark EzellCommissioner, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Challenge Millions of visually impaired travelers face barriers when exploring online travel destinations due to uninspired, generic alt-text image descriptions. Standard descriptions like “image of a mountain” fail to evoke the beauty and spirit of Tennessee’s landscapes and culture. Inspiration Leveraging Tennessee’s legendary musical heritage, the campaign sought to transform accessibility into an evocative experience by partnering with celebrated songwriters to craft poetic alt-text descriptions. Idea We replaced standard image descriptions on TNVacation.com with beautifully-crafted song lyrics written by award-winning Tennessee songwriters. These lyrical alt-text descriptions allow screen reader users to experience Tennessee’s unmatched beauty, culture and spirit through immersive storytelling rather than generic labels. Visit TNVacation.com/For-All to explore how these lyrical descriptions bring Tennessee’s landscapes and attractions to life. Results/Growth Collaboration with 12 iconic songwriters, including Dolly Parton, Billy Montana, Brooks & Dunn’s Kix Brooks, David Tolliver, Michael Farren, Brian Davis, JP Williams and Hilary Williams, among others.Industry-first approach to accessibility, setting a new creative standard for inclusive design in tourism.Positive feedback from visually impaired travelers who felt connected to Tennessee’s landscapes and culture through poetic storytelling. Play Video Play Video Agencies, brands and everyone on creative teams have the potential to add layers of creativity to the work through accessibility, but it's often simply forgotten. This is a rallying cry for the industry to think about accessibility creatively.Josh LoebnerGlobal Head of Inclusive Design, VMLslide 5 of 4Series Feature: For Humans, By HumansVML introduces For Humans, By Humans, a mini-documentary series celebrating the people and stories behind our impactful campaigns.Watch the full story in this feature, inspired by VML's Human First philosophy.For more information about this series, click here. Please provide your contact information to continue.Awards2025 Cannes Lions2025 Cannes Lions Entertainment Lions for Music Silver Lion 2025 Cannes Lions2025 Cannes Lions Industry Craft Bronze Lion PressTennessee Enhances Online Accessibility, Invites Visually Impaired to 'Hear' Attractions With Songwriter-Penned Alt-TextHoodline TN Tourism Teams With Songwriters To Enhance Online Travel Experience For Impaired VisitorsMusicRow Tennessee Blends Songwriting and Accessibility in Landmark Sound Sites CampaignHipz Tennessee Tourism Turns Alt-Text into Lyrics for Visually Impaired TravelersRutherford Source Related Content Tennessee Dept. of Tourist Development Tennessee Sounds Perfect Giving the home of seven genres a rebrand that sings Read Case Study Tennessee Dept. of Tourist Development Has AwardsTennessee Playcation Bringing family vacations to life with Tennessee's first-ever toy catalog Read Case Study