From now until mid-April, an estimated half-million college students from across the country will visit Panama City Beach.

This fact hasn't gone unnoticed by advertising firms on New York’s Madison Avenue.

From 12,000 feet into the sky, the U.S. Army's Goodwill Ambassadors drop-in on the sugar, white sands. The service's elite parachute teams, The Golden Knights, are spending the week making jumps during Spring Break on Panama City Beach. It's a great recruiting tool to reach kids in college.

Many of the nation's Fortune 500 companies are represented at Spring Break. With the highly sought 18-plus age group, advertising firms from Madison Avenue want to get the message of their clients across to the young people.

The Spring Break season typically ends Easter Sunday. It will be followed by the Summer tourist period, which gets underway Memorial Day weekend.