Hollywood stars front new California TV advertising
California Tourism will premiere its first UK television advertising on Boxing Day supported by a dedicated website.
Celebrities including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rob Lowe and Vanessa Williams are shown demonstrating the aspirational lifestyle associated with the state.
The 30-second advert forms part of the $6.25 million investment in the UK and Ireland announced at Pow Wow in Anaheim earlier this year.
The campaign covers TV, press and online advertising over an initial six month period in conjunction with promotional partnership activity. The aim is to drive “high value” visitors to California.
All advertising will direct consumers to a new bespoke website for the UK and Ireland, www.visitcalifornia.co.uk. The site will combine existing content from the domestic California website (www.visitcalifornia.com) with tailored information for visitors.
A dedicated travel trade area will feature tailor-made training modules for retail and tour operator staff along with new product ideas.
There will also be a ‘Califorum’ – an open platform inviting people to share with others their tips and recommendations on any aspect of planning a trip to, and visiting, California.
Caroline Beteta, executive director of California Travel & Tourism Commission (CTTC) said: “Now is exactly the right time for California to be investing in the UK.
“We are really excited about the advertising campaign which promises to showcase the Californian lifestyle by combining recognised names and locations with some lesser known features of California.
“With a dedicated website to support this we are confident that we can make it as easy as possible for those researching any aspect of a vacation to California to access comprehensive information about the state.”
According to CTTC, approximately 827,000 travellers from the UK and Ireland visited California last year, the majority on holiday, spending $772 million.
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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