VIENNA — A new tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign from the Vienna Tourist Board playfully warns travellers about ‘Post-Vienna-Blues’ (PVB), playing on the idea that visitors will experience melancholy, nostalgic daydreams and emotional restlessness upon returning home after a trip to Vienna.

The campaign launched on June 3 in the U.S. with a prominent billboard in New York’s Times Square, on display until mid-June. Campaign elements will also be displayed on 70 digital bus shelters and newsstands throughout Manhattan. Online and social media advertising will target New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and, for the first time, Boston, due to a new direct flight connection from Austrian Airlines starting in July 2024.

In Canada, the focus for the campaign will be on Toronto and Montreal. Opulent locations like Schönbrunn Palace, Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’ at the Upper Belvedere, and pastries from ‘K.u.K. Hofzuckerbäckerei’ Demel all showcase Vienna’s grandeur.

On June 4, Viennese institutions jointly drew attention to their social media channels about the potential for a visit to trigger PVB. Additionally, in cooperation with Austrian Airlines and the Vienna Airport, departing guests will be humorously farewelled in lounges with the message ‘Sorry, I gave you Post-Vienna-Blues.’

The Vienna Tourist Board even offers a humorous ‘PVB symptom check’ at post.vienna.info to drive brand awareness and also encourage repeat visits to the city. The site also satirically reframes major attractions as ‘high-risk locations’ and identifies ‘triggers’, including Vienna’s 2,000 coffee houses, 27 castles, 163 palaces, and 100+ museums.

“In launching this campaign our objective is clear: to craft a witty narrative that captures Vienna’s breathtaking allure in a truly distinctive manner,” said Norbert Kettner, CEO of the Vienna Tourist Board. “We want to remind people that Vienna is a city that stays with you, it lingers in the hearts and minds of visitors long after their departure.”