Planes, Trains and Cars; Tourism Campaign Kicks Into Gear

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is evolving its popular and proven With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® campaign by ushering in the new year with new media-buying tactics, joint marketing initiatives and an exciting consumer-engagement opportunity. In winter 2011, Philadelphia will be the first U.S. destination to dominate train stations in New York City and Washington, DC; serve as the first regional advertiser with CNN Airport Network; and run its first With Love billboard-writing contest. What's more, GPTMC will extend its popular With Love message by launching a new joint marketing campaign.

TV Commercial Takes Flight:

Beginning on January 11, a new 30-second With Love commercial will debut in airports in the key markets of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington, DC and Virginia. It will run for 12 weeks through the CNN Airport Network, and GPTMC is the first advertiser to select individual airports (as opposed to buying the entire network of airports). The ad debuts on TV stations in the New York, Philadelphia and Harrisburg DMAs the following day (January 12) and airs through March. It will also play in 5,500 New York City taxi cabs from February 28 through March 30.

For the second time, New York's top-rated ABC station will run a half-hour Destination Philadelphia special on March 12 and 13, featuring the many reasons to visit the city in the coming months. Philadelphia is the first destination to be featured in this type of program. Advertising will also appear in magazines and newspapers, on billboards, in transit stations and online.

Double The Domination:

In February, Philadelphia becomes the first U.S. destination to dominate New York's Penn Station. Home to six million commuters a month, the jam-packed station's 225 Amtrak-level advertising displays, including column wraps, posters, banners, kiosk dioramas and a stair riser, will be decked out with a With Love message. In March, it's back to Washington, DC's Union Station—dominated by Philadelphia this past summer—as With Love takes over the walls, floors, pillars and platforms of the Amtrak level of the station. Onboard posters on Amtrak's Northeast Regional and Acela Express trains and ads and advertorials in Arrive Magazine support both of these Station Domination efforts.

New Joint Marketing Program:

Seven Philadelphia organizations are starting 2011 by joining GPTMC's new joint marketing program, which allows partners to stretch their marketing dollars and expand their consumer base by leveraging the buying and creative power of the popular With Love campaign. Program benefits include consistent creative that's part of an established brand, collective media-buying power, integrated marketing promotion and campaign performance tracking. Founding partners in the program:

• Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: Philadelphia International Flower Show
• University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology: Secrets of the Silk Road
• Philadelphia Museum of Art: Roberto Capucci: Art into Fashion
• National Constitution Center: Spies, Traitors and Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America
• Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts: Month-long arts festival
• Longwood Gardens: Indoor floral collection
• Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau: Art, history, family offerings and wine trails

A GPTMC Contest First:

From January 11 through February 4, 2011, Philly fans and wordsmiths can submit their own With Love lines at visitphilly.com/contest for a chance to see their work and name on a billboard along Philadelphia's I-95, the main East Coast highway, in February. GPTMC will use the combined power of traditional and social media to get the word out about the contest. Starting January 12, billboards will tout the contest, which is a first-time endeavor for GPTMC. Social media applications will enable letter-writers to share their creations and spread the news of the contest to larger audiences.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region's vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit visitphilly.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

SOURCE Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation