29 NOV 2018: New York’s division of tourism brought the love to a Canadian trade audience in Toronto on Nov. 28 with the message that it’s iconic “I Love New York” slogan covers “the whole state, not just Times Square.”
Led by state director of marketing Markly Wilson, the NY delegation – which included reps and suppliers from Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Genesee Co. and the Finger Lakes region – hosted a reception and mini-trade show to update attendees on local highlights while “presenting some ideas that are different” for visitors or would-be’s to the state.
“Everyone knows Times Square and the Statue of Liberty, but there are many things to know about [for example] Genesee Co. and some specific aspects of Buffalo,” Wilson said.
Such as, Visit Buffalo Niagara’s Leah Mueller pointed out, that the Toronto Blue Jays’ AAA minor league baseball affiliate, the Bisons, is based in Buffalo. And that there are “cute little villages” in the city for shopping, not just outlet malls and the Walden Galleria.
“Buffalo invented chicken wings, but did you know that there’s actually an official ‘wing trail’ with about 12 restaurants?” she asked.
Similarly, Syracuse’s Kelly Fitzpatrick pointed out that the city’s Destiny USA mall is actually the sixth largest in the entire US, while Finger Lakes’ Christen Smith touted her area’s award-winning wines.
Looking ahead, New York will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock next year, with state tourism rep Paula Savage advising the audience to stay tuned for details. “It’s going to be a biggie.”
Another biggie, Wilson emphasized, is the heartfelt sentiment that New York is offering a “warm welcome” to all Canadians. “We want you to know, more than anything else – particularly in these times – that New York State is a welcoming place.
“That,” he said, “is the main thing!”
NEW YORK CITY
Meanwhile, in another part of the state, NYC & Company has released details of its refreshed “Famous Original New York City” global digital-first tourism campaign, which invites travellers to discover the city through “personal experiences” and “affinities.”
The US$15 million campaign is based on personal ways NYC can be experienced and utilizes video, photo galleries, editorial and social content – all pegged to distinct newly curated travel “affinities”: Secret NYC, Glamorous NYC and Classic NYC.
Running in partnership with Facebook and Instagram, the campaign is in effect across 17 countries, including Canada, through summer 2019, and has been developed to attract audience members with specific interests and behaviors. Artificial intelligence will target social media users with an intent to travel, ultimately encouraging visits to the campaign landing page, featuring dynamically generated content and market-specific travel offers, including attractions, museums, restaurants, shopping, tours and editorial packages. Users can build custom itineraries based on personal, saved interests through the travel-planning tool Utrip.
Additional strategic collaborations with partners include Toronto Tourism and Porter Airlines in Canada, the latter providing various travel packages, including flight and/or hotel deals.
“The newest iteration of the “Famous Original New York City” campaign pushes the boundaries of digital marketing and is our answer to the challenge of how to present a destination that is many different things to many different people,” said NYC & Company senior vice president, Marketing, Nancy Mammana.