Doors. A yellow door leading to the sand, a green door in a lush forest, a pink door on the beach.
Discover Puerto Rico‘s new 30-second video asks, “Have We Met Yet?” emphasizing a warm welcome to “your neighbor just to the south.”
The campaign created with Beautiful Destinations launched last week across digital channels via digital banners, social, pre-roll and a follow-up TV spot that will appear in coming weeks in key markets.
Following extensive research showing that Puerto Rico’s brand identity was neutral in the minds of travelers, this new campaign is this next phase of Discover Puerto Rico’s brand repositioning process, enabling the Island to fully capitalize on its rich tourism product offerings and emerge as a leading Caribbean destination. The creative campaign assets reposition the Island as that neighbor that one dreams of…” says the DMO’s press release.
Read the news release and see the video here.
Chairs. A rocking chair for the comfort of a hotel visitor, a stool beside the cellist at rehearsal, a stadium seat at the sports arena.
“Pull Up a Chair. You Are Welcomed Here” is the theme for VisitPITTSBURGH in the DMO’s new two-minute video.
The campaign will be mostly digital, across many platforms, and include a large amount of paid media, and boosting on social channels, especially Facebook. The campaign video will also play on a video board in NYC’s Times Square for four weeks. Much of the campaign creative was done in-house.
Craig Davis, President and CEO, talks to CBS Local about the campaign and its tie-in to cinema previews of the upcoming Mr. Rogers movie, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” (September 2019 release) starring Tom Hanks and shot on location in Pittsburgh. Click to watch the TV interview here.
Target markets include seven direct flight cities (Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa and Washington, D.C.) and the 100-mile drive market. The secret sauce? Get locals involved. Davis suggests that residents snap photos of chairs around town and send them in for the next iteration of this campaign.
Jake Steinman, 
William Pate, President and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau will serve as the 2018-2019 chair of Destinations International‘s board of directors. Other board officers include Craig Davis, VisitPittsburgh (chair-elect); Butch Spyridon, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. (secretary-treasurer); and Tammy Blount-Canavan, Monterey County CVB, (immediate past chair).
Jason Fulvi, CDME, the new president and CEO of Visit KC, will chair the Destinations International Foundation board of trustees for the same period. Others serving are John Groh, Rockford Area CVB (chair-elect); John Lambeth, Civitas Advisors, (secretary-treasurer); Stephanie Pace Brown, Explore Asheville immediate past chair); and John Percy, Destination Niagara USA (at-large officer).
Sheelagh Wylie has left the inbound side of the U.S. tourism business—and her job as vice president, business development and head of trade sales, Midway Attractions, North America, Merlin Entertainments—to join Visit Britain as chief marketing officer, Americas. She is based in New York. For the past 15 years Wylie had been with Merlin which includes Madame Tussauds among its 127 attractions, 19 hotels, and 7 holiday villages in 27 countries.
Fritz Smith has been named as the new executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau. Smith has worked in Pennsylvania government as director of tourism operations and as deputy secretary for tourism, film, and economic development. He also has served as vice president of tourism for the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau and most recently was vice president of research and hotel initiatives for Visit Philadelphia.
Julie Calvert was named president and CEO of the Cincinnati CVB following a five-month executive search. Calvert had previously served as VP – Communications and Strategic Development for the bureau in 2011-2016. Dan Lincoln, who led the bureau for 11 years, stepped down at the end of 2017, citing health reasons.
Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau has rebranded as Memphis Tourism. including a new logo. The update follows months of data-driven research, stakeholder interviews, and audience testing by destination analysts in surveys with 800 potential visitors. President and CEO Kevin Kane, a 27-year veteran, and CMO Regena Bearden, a 30-year veteran, launched the new look for the “Home of Blues, Soul, and Rock ‘n’ Roll” in June.
Cheryl Y. Kilday, CDME, will leave in mid-October after eight years as president and CEO of Visit Spokane (WA) to become CEO of North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. A nationwide search for Visit Spokane expected to last 10-12 weeks is planned, while the interim role will be filled by TJ Hake, VP of Strategic Development and Operations.
Marshall, Texas has named Mallori James as the new leader of Marshall (TX) Convention and Visitors Bureau as the new Tourism and Marketing Manager. The position is responsible for the leadership of the DMO, implementing a robust and creative marketing strategy to attract tourists, and enhancing nature, culture, and arts opportunities for city visitors and residents.
Salesforce billionaire CEO Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne “sent shock waves from New York to San Francisco” with their purchase of the 95-year-old Time Magazine, one of the world’s most iconic magazine titles, reports Business Insider. Observers are left musing; will they go all-video with the $190 million purchase?