PHILLY TOURISM OFFICE UNVEILS
TOE-TAPPING TV SPOT DURING TONY AWARDS®
Philly: The Musical Serves As Centerpiece Of City’s Summer
Tourism Campaign
High-res images of Philly: The Musical ads are available for
download
here.
PHILADELPHIA, May 17, 2006 – What does it take
to create a top-notch tourism commercial? In Philadelphia, it
involves a guy in pajamas, a teddy bear, several stunt bears, 15
professional dancers, 39 extras, the mayor and a famous director –
and that’s just the beginning. Officials from the Greater
Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) today unveiled
the centerpiece of their $2 million summer tourism campaign: a
commercial entitled, Philly: The Musical. Debuting during
the Tony Awards® on June 11, the energetic spot reinforces the
Philly’s More Fun When You Sleep Over® message and
promotes the Philly Overnight® Hotel
Package, both of which are partly responsible for the
region’s enormous growth as a leisure tourism destination over the
past five years. The commercial is the centerpiece of the Greater
Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC)’s $2 million
summer tourism campaign.
Performers on the steps of the
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Photo courtesy of Red Tettemer
The storyline for the new commercial, featuring the tagline
Philly’s More Fun When You Sleep Over®…And
Over Again, focuses on a regular guy (played by Mike
Rutkoski of Montclair, New Jersey), who wakes up inspired to
explore Philadelphia and The Countryside™. He dances his way
through 12 locations, including an outdoor cafe, a museum, an
antiques shop and Boathouse Row, where he’s met by
the cast of characters mentioned above.
Why a musical? GPTMC president and CEO Meryl Levitz says, “We
picked up on cues from the first Philly Overnight®
campaign. People loved the music and Pajama Man. So, we
reintroduced him, wrote a new song and set both free in our
re-invigorated region. A musical works especially well on radio
too.”
GPTMC first introduced the Philly’s More Fun brand in fall 2001.
The campaign helped Philadelphia rebound faster than any other city
in the U.S. after the events of September 11 and has been the
region’s main commercial message ever since.
Commercial Production:
Los Angeles-based director Blair Hayes, directed Philly: The
Musical. Other credits include Bubble Boy and the
trailer for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Traci
Wilson, known for her choreography work on Terminator 3,
led the cast of 55 in dance; and Lexi Godfrey, who has worked on
music videos for Queen, produced the spot. The campaign was
conceived by Red Tettemer, a Philadelphia-based advertising agency.
Ken Cills of Red Tettemer and Michael Aharon of the Maja Audio
Group wrote the song. (The commercial and song lyrics will be
viewable at gophila.com/phillythemusical
on June 11.)
Advertising Plan:
The advertising buy includes a full scope of media, including
television, radio, print, outdoor, online and cinema. Here’s a look
at the specifics:
- Television: The commercial will run in the New
York, Boston, Harrisburg and Philadelphia Designated Market Area
(DMA) between June 11-July 2.
- Radio: Ads will run in New York, Boston and
Harrisburg during July and August.
- Billboards: A 40-feet-by-27-feet, two-panel
display outlined by chasing lights will be on view in New York’s
Theater District from June to August. Another billboard will appear
on the new Forum Shops at Caesars in Atlantic City from June to
November.
- In-Cinema: The commercial will play in New
York and Boston movie theaters throughout July. It will also appear
in theater lobbies on TV screens and on framed posters.
- Print: Advertising promoting the hotel package
will appear in the Philadelphia Business Journal, the
Baltimore Afro-American Times and several Hispanic
publications, including Latina and People En
Espanol, among others.
- Online: Promotional partners, such as dailycandy.com, will host the ad on
the New York edition of their Web site and send a dedicated e-mail
message to subscribers of the Boston and Philadelphia editions.
Other partners include citysearch.com, philly.com and nypost.com.
Public Relations:
PR for the campaign revolves around pajamas and extensive media
outreach. Philly’s buzz marketing team will take to the streets in
PJs to bring the message directly to consumers. In addition, the PR
team will reach out to traditional and new media outlets, including
blogs and consumer-generated Web sites.
Hotel Package:
The popular Philly Overnight® Hotel
Package will return on June 23 just in time for summer
fun. Available through September 4 at more than 40 hotels
throughout the region, the package includes two-night
accommodations and free hotel parking. Guests will also get a mini
version of the teddy bear featured in the commercial and a coupon
book. The package is available any night of the week and is now
bookable by calling the hotels directly or by visiting gophila.com.
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 www.gophila.com or call the
Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National
Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.
Note to Editors: For photos of Greater
Philadelphia, visit our Photo
Gallery. On the pressroom, you can also subscribe to RSS feeds
to receive updates on topics that are specifically of interest to
you: What’s New, Dining, Events, Seasonal Travel, Hotel Packages
and Tourism Research.
CONTACT:
Cara Schneider, GPTMC
(215) 599-0789, cara@gptmc.com
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