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| CONTACT: | Paula Butler |
GPTMC |
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GPTMC UNVEILS NEW ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
"For The Pursuit Of Happiness – Yours"
PHILADELPHIA, May 9, 2001
– The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) today unveiled a new advertising campaign at its Annual Report to the Industry event for National Tourism Week. The campaign, which is designed to lure increased numbers of tourists to the five-county region, will begin running later this month. The new campaign will feature a new advertising theme, "Philadelphia. For the pursuit of happiness – yours," as well as the tagline created in 1997, "Philadelphia, the Place that LOVES YOU BACK." GPTMC will spend a total of $4.3 million in spring and summer, which includes advertising in the following categories: general image, niche markets, Web site, cooperative and trade and Cultural Cooperative Grant Program."The new ads build on the three years of successful television image advertising," said Meryl Levitz, president and CEO of GPTMC. "They urge people to pursue happiness in Philadelphia either by coming to an event here or as a wonderful getaway."
GPTMC’s previous campaign theme was "This is MY Philadelphia," spoken by celebrities. GPTMC and former advertising agency Earle Palmer Brown in July 2000 convened focus groups in five feeder cities to assess the destination’s image and identify strengths and weaknesses. The resulting 30-second television commercials position Philadelphia as an ideal place for a getaway vacation, playing off the stress of everyday life and touting Philadelphia’s unique combination of enrichment and relaxation.
"The ads also have a stronger call to action," said Levitz, who added that all of the ads will direct consumers to the GPTMC Web site,
www.gophila.com, where they can book hotel stays or get a wide variety of information.Television commercials will begin airing in late April in the regional Harrisburg and regional New York (including northern New Jersey and southern Connecticut) markets, which supply the largest percentages of visitors to the region.
A magazine campaign, running from April – July, will utilize directory ads in the April – July issues of 19 publications and will reach a total of 25 million people. Publications include Martha Stewart Living, Travel America, American Legacy, Preservation, Natural History, Family Fun, Southern Living, Better Homes & Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Reader’s Digest, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Travel & Leisure, Parade magazine, AAA Car & Travel, New York Magazine and The New York Times Sophisticated Traveler section.
Advertising in newspapers in the New York and Harrisburg markets will promote events in the region. Media selected include the New York Times, New York Daily News, Newark Star Ledger, Long Island Newsday and Harrisburg Patriot News.
In addition to general advertising, GPTMC advertises in niche media to speak directly to special markets, such as African Americans and families selecting colleges in the region. African American media targeted include newspapers: Amsterdam News, DC Afro American and Baltimore Afro American; magazines: American Legacy and Pathfinders; and radio in Washington, DC and Baltimore. To reach the campus visitation market, GPTMC sponsors Campus Visit Philadelphia, which reaches out to college-bound students and their families with the Campus Visit Philadelphia magazine, a Web site (
www.onebigcampus.com), direct mail and online advertising.GPTMC ran the first national television and print advertising campaigns promoting the Philadelphia region in spring 1997. In the past three years (1997, 1998 and 1999), GPTMC’s general advertising has generated more than 3.26 million incremental overnight trips and $335 million in related traveler expenditures versus a media budget of $5.2 million (image campaign only), according to a study by Longwoods International.
Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation is a non-profit organization dedicated to generating awareness of and visitation to Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. For more information about travel Philadelphia, visit
www.gophila.com or call (877) GO-PHILA.###
