NYC Uses Barter In Major
International Advertising Effort
New York has
rolled out its first multinational ad campaign as it battles stiff
international competition to bring in tourists. Tagged �This Is New
York City,� the effort highlights the wide range of activities and
sights of the Big Apple.
The campaign
will be aired on TV in Spain, Ireland, France and the United
Kingdom. Billboards are planned for Brazil, Portugal, Italy and
Spain, while print is ready to go in countries including South
Africa and Germany.
NYC & Company,
the city's tourism office, has pushed hard overseas, signing up
marketing reps and running smaller outdoor campaigns in the U.K. and
Ireland. The new TV spots will be the first to appear on foreign
television.
Mayor Michael
Bloomberg wants to boost the number of annual tourists to 50 million
from 44 million by 2015. The heavy focus is on overseas visitors,
because they tend to stay longer and spend more. Tourism already
pours an estimated $24 billion into the city each year.
TV spots
feature a contemporary remix of Ella Fitzgerald singing �Take the A
Train,� showing icons like Times Square, Coney Island and the Staten
Island Ferry. The print and outdoor executions showcase cultural
attractions, shopping, and entertainment.
Ads will also
run domestically on cable network The History Channel and in cities
including Boston, Philadelphia and Miami. The effort will cost $4.75
million, and also has bartered ad space to the tune of $25 million,
NYC & Company revealed.