Philly Tourism Office Unveils Toe-Tapping TV Spot During Tony Awards(R)

Philly Tourism Office Unveils Toe-Tapping TV Spot During Tony Awards(R)

Philly: The Musical Serves as Centerpiece of City's Summer Tourism Campaign

PHILADELPHIA, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- 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. The city's new Broadway-style commercial, Philly: The Musical, makes its debut this Sunday night, June 11, during the Tony Awards(R) on CBS. The energetic spot reinforces the Philly's More Fun When You Sleep Over(R) message and promotes the Philly Overnight(R) Hotel Package, both of which are partly responsible for the Philadelphia 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.

The storyline for the new spot, featuring the tagline Philly's More Fun When You Sleep Over(R) ... 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(TM). 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(R) campaign. People loved the music and Pajama Man. So, we reintroduced him, wrote a new song and set both free in our reinvigorated 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 http://www.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 http://www.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 http://www.citysearch.com/,
http://www.philly.com/ and http://www.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(R) 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 http://www.gophila.com/.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside(TM) 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 http://www.gophila.com/ or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.

Note to Editors: For high-resolution photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of http://www.gophila.com/pressroom. 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.

Source: Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

CONTACT: Cara Schneider, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing
Corporation, +1-215-599-0789, or cara@gptmc.com

Web site: http://www.gophila.com/
http://www.gophila.com/phillythemusical

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