NEW YORK CITY — NYC & Company’s US$15 million global tourism campaign ‘True York City’ hits the Canadian market today and runs through Dec. 31 with featured partner Air Canada.
The launch comes on the heels of news of a new partnership between Tourism Toronto and NYC & Company, announced in October and bolstered by a seat sale with Air Canada. NYC & Company holds multiple strategic city-to-city tourism alliances internationally, including Toronto.
NYC & Company says a cooperative partner is still being determined for Jan. 1 – Feb. 18, 2018.
Campaign materials
NYC & Company is New York City’s official destination marketing organization and ‘True York City’ is launching this fall in markets around the world. The campaign invites travellers to discover the iconic experiences New York City is known for, as well as lesser-known aspects that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.
“When people think New York City, they think authenticity,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “As the safest and most dynamic big city in America, we have endless cultural offerings that continue to make the five boroughs a global draw for tourists. But now with ‘True York City,’ we can give those travellers an even more genuine, bona fide New York City experience while helping our businesses and communities thrive at the same time.”
NYC & Company’s President and CEO, Fred Dixon, adds that ‘True York City’ invites travellers to seek authentic experiences, from the arts, design and retail to culture and cuisine. “These travellers tend to stay longer and return often to explore both our iconic sights and our neighborhood gems, likely to be small businesses, locally owned and operated,” said Dixon. “The more integrated into the local culture the visitor becomes, the more positive the impact on the city and its residents.”
The ‘True York City’ campaign is being introduced through NYC & Company’s most expansive campaign presence to date, with media and partnerships running across 17 countries this fall through next spring. In-kind, partner and paid media contribute an approximate value of $15.6 million globally with ad messaging ‘Famous Original NYC’ and digital and content elements incorporating the overarching campaign of ‘True York City’.
“For a city that can’t be defined by one single statement, one simple logo or a single spokesperson, ‘True York City’ is a platform to remind the world why we love our home,” said Elan Cole, Creative Director of NYC & Company. “NYC is the most creative place on the planet, and we want to give the artists, designers, dancers, chefs, filmmakers, bartenders and writers the opportunity to speak to the rest of the world about why they love NYC through their chosen mediums.”
Introductory campaign artwork depicts the phrase ‘Famous Original New York City’, a tongue-in-cheek toast to the city, with typography using a sampling of NYC visuals from past and present as an art form. The hashtag #TrueYorkCity serves as a call to action on advertisements for audiences both local and from away to share their ‘True York City’.
The nycgo.com/famousoriginal website goes live today. Audiences can view additional ‘True York City’ content, including new thematic video, photography and editorial stories. Additional elements will debut in 2018, including a borough video series, a collection of visual art forms from various New York City personalities (billed as ‘culture creators’) and ultimately participation by New York City locals with user-generated social content.
In 2016 New York City’s travel and tourism sector saw a record-breaking year, with 60.5 million visitors and $43 billion in direct spending, the largest economic impact of any U.S. destination. Half of the new hotels since 2006 have been built in the boroughs beyond Manhattan. The visitation forecast for year-end 2017 will increase to 61.8 million visitors, comprising 49.2 million domestic and 12.6 million international visitors.
