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North Park | South Park | West Park | East Park | Near US-17 | Near FL Tpk | Orlando
No Mickey
Mouse Campaign
By
Glenn Haussman*
It may have been slushy and chilly in New York City, but the
Orlando/
Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau created a
tropical oasis in Times Square to launch their newest and most
extensive advertising campaign. The city also unveiled a new slogan:
Built for Families. Made for Memories.
The two year, $68 million campaign was unveiled a press conference
Thursday morning in Times Square at an event featuring many iconic
Orlando personalities. Besides Mickey and Minnie, they were
accompanied by Astronauts, performers and a slew of critters
courtesy of SeaWorld including penguins, an alligator, anteater and
a sloth.
According to Gary Sain, President and
CEO of the Orlando/Orange Country CVB, the new ad campaigns ties
together Orlando imagery with the key benefits of taking a vacation
there. The family focused ads combine ideas such as changing of the
parental role while on vacation, a chance to have new experiences,
the creation of lifelong memories and a chance to escape the
distractions of everyday life.
“Orlando is working hard to enhance its position. Our purpose to
provide memorable experiences for the whole family to enjoy,” said
Sain.
A pair of clever television advertisements features either a father
with his son or a mother with her daughter. Magically the parent is
transformed into a kid again and gets to play and see an Orlando
vacation in a new way while bonding with their child. Finishing with
the tagline, “It’s not so much about going to Orlando, but rather
about coming together while you’re here” the spot tries to hit the
emotional touch points of the travel consumer.
In an interview with Hotel Interactive, Orange County mayor Richard
Crotty said the campaign has the potential to take the Orlando brand
“to the next level.”
“We live in a complicated world where sometimes we don’t connect
with our families as we live our daily lives. An Orlando vacation
and the memories it creates offers the chance to strengthen familial
bonds,” said Crotty, adding that a portion of the advertising is
being funded from a six cent hotel room tax.
For the first time ever, Orlando is advertising on national and
network television, with 2,500 spots airing during the first
quarter 2007 alone. And since women are the predominant decision
makers when it comes to planning the family vacation, spots will air
on shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, Dancing with the Stars and
the ubiquitous American Idol. The spots will also air on 26 cable
channels. Twenty five percent of the spots will air on early morning
television on shows such as Good Morning America.
“Our ads are more focused on mom, [deeply] emotional and more
targeted than ever before,” said Sain. “We need to light the fuse
with mom with compelling communication that highlights the emotional
benefits of an Orlando vacation.”
In print, Orlando is planning a series of 16-page magazine inserts
in publications appealing to affluent mothers. The inserts will
provide more detailed destination information and will start to
appear next month.
On the internet, which Sain said has 54 million women in their
target audience; the Bureau will utilize display advertisements on
select general interest and travel sites.
Outdoor advertising will also be in New York, Chicago and Atlanta.
Orlando is no slouch in getting visitors to come to their city. In
2005 (the most recent numbers available), the region had 49.3
million visitors, up from 47.7 million the year before. Visitor
spending last year topped $29.6 billion, making it the top tourism
destination in the United States. Sain said 37 percent of all jobs
are tied to the tourism industry and account for $15.6 billion in
annual wages.
Courtesy of Hotel Interactive.
www.hotelinteractive.com |
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*Glenn
Haussman, Hotel Interactive's Editor In
Chief, has been specializing in the hospitality industry
for more than 10 years. He often speaks at lodging
industry events, is quoted frequently as an expert
source by newspapers and is an adjunct professor at New
York University. |
© copyright
2007
Hotel
Interactive
all
rights reserved
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