Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

CAMPAIGN NAME: With Art Philadelphia™

TAGLINE: Curate Your Own Experience

CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW & CREATIVE CONCEPT: Philadelphia’s first-ever coordinated and sustained visual arts marketing initiative, With Art Philadelphia aims to position the city as a top arts destination and draw more visitors to see and explore the vast and varied arts scene.

The series of advertisements describes a variety of ideal art-focused days and nights in Philadelphia and encourages visitors to take advantage of the many art offerings available within close proximity of one another. Each ad poses the question: How do you curate the most artistic mile in the country?

Just in time for the opening of the Barnes Foundation’s Philadelphia campus on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the City of Philadelphia, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) and 14 other civic and cultural partners today launched the city’s first-ever coordinated and sustained visual arts marketing campaign called With Art Philadelphia™. The two-year, $2 million (to date) campaign aims to leverage the energy of the Barnes Foundation opening in order to generate sustained attention on one of the world’s great art destinations, draw new and engaged audiences and spur overnight stays from visitors worldwide. With Art encourages visitors to curate

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) has welcomed Paula Butler as its new vice president of communications. In this role, Butler is responsible for development of GPTMC’s communication strategy and leading a team of communications professionals to promote Philadelphia as a leisure destination and to enhance Greater Philadelphia’s brand reputation. In addition to the day-to-day communications function, Butler will lead the team in media relations, content development and social media to keep Philadelphia in the news and top-of-mind.

A native of the Philadelphia region, Butler was GPTMC’s first vice president of communications in the organization’s early years, from 1999-2006,

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) recently debuted content on Foursquare, Foodspotting and Pinterest for LGBT travelers planning a trip to Philadelphia or residents who want to get to know their city better. On the various social media apps, those with an interest in Philadelphia’s gay-friendly offerings can get the scoop on must-try restaurants, popular bars, top shops and more.

1. Foursquare Lists: These new curated guides give LGBT visitors the scoop on how to eat and drink their way through Philly:

• Gayborhood Grub: Though small, the Gayborhood contains a burgeoning food scene full of delicious options. Readers will

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) and Brand USA announced today that GPTMC’s vice president of advertising and strategic alliances, Sharon Rossi, will be one of 25 experienced marketing professionals on the Brand USA marketing advisory group, effective immediately. The advisory group, which also includes representatives from destinations such as Florida and Las Vegas, will provide counsel and advice for the country’s first international marketing campaign. Brand USA will announce details of the campaign in April at U.S. Travel Association’s International Pow Wow conference.

About Brand USA:
In fall 2011, Brand USA, the public-private partnership established by Congress

Today, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) officially launched a new Twitter account that’s just for members of the media—@VisitPhillyPR. In fact, it’s the organization’s only private account, ensuring exclusive access to the news information. @VisitPhilly remains GPTMC’s general consumer Twitter account.

Through the new account, GPTMC communicates with media by distributing story ideas, news about campaigns, photos and videos. The journalists who follow @VisitPhillyPR will be the first to know about news such as GPTMC’s 101-day video series, the top 10 food trends for 2012, campaign announcements and up-to-date industry and destination information.

Watch the one-minute

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is taking strides to further develop its social media, breaking into the newest and most effective platforms and continuing to refine its current properties. The organization embraced social media early on, and today, GPTMC is a recognized leader in the travel industry, with awards and conference presentations to prove it. Just last month, GPTMC ran a hugely successful Facebook contest, 29 Nights of Dates, which ended with 53,000 entries and 12,000 new fans. Here’s the newest social media news from GPTMC, known as Visit Philly to its more than 200,000 social media fans

Recently, there have been four indicators that Philadelphia’s national influence is on the rise. Here they are:

1. Frommer’s Names GPTMC A Top 15:
GPTMC’s latest high-profile accolade came from Frommer’s, which names With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® in its online article “Tourism Slogans: 15 Favorite Phrases.” The list also includes such notable campaigns as I Love New York® and Virginia Is for Lovers®, as well as international destinations including Bangladesh, the Philippines and South Africa.

2. Philadelphia: The Case Study:
The U.S. Travel Association continues to cite Philadelphia as a case study proving the importance of tourism

Today, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) announced that Joanne Griffonetti of Philadelphia won the 29 Nights of Dates contest grand prize—a red Vespa with two With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® helmets. The month-long sweepstakes generated 53,672 entrants from all over the country, plus 12,052 new Visit Philly Facebook fans and 4,786 new monthly email subscribers. On average, 1,850 people per day entered to win the daily changing 29 dates, which included packages of attraction tickets, restaurant gift cards, tours, hotel stays and even a hot air balloon ride.

A component of GPTMC’s popular With Love campaign, which has been

On March 15, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation’s (GPTMC) uwishunu.com will launch Philly 101, a daily video series starring 101 residents who share their Philly tips and insights (ones that you wish you knew) in about 60 seconds. When all 101 minutes are completed, Philly 101 will be a must-see movie—made by and starring in-the-know Philadelphians—that people can watch anytime and from anywhere.

People & Places:
The videos star 101 different Philadelphians, sharing the real deal about their city. The authentic voices range from Chef Michael Solomonov of Zahav and Federal Donuts and Bill Covaleski, founder and CEO

At the core of Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation’s (GPTMC) Philly 360°® campaign—focused on attracting younger, tech-savvy African-American travelers interested in contemporary cultural offerings and vibrant nightlife—are the Creative Ambassadors. Members of the city’s creative class, the Creative Ambassadors are known nationally and internationally for their work and have made a commitment to their hometown through their artistic endeavors, business enterprises and community involvement. The Creative Ambassadors are influencers building buzz about Philadelphia through their social networks—and encouraging more people to visit in the process.

The Creative Ambassadors support the Philly 360°® campaign by using their authentic voices and credibility

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is proud to announce five partnerships that aim to reach gay and lesbian travelers as part of its groundbreaking Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay® marketing campaign. In 2012, GPTMC will work with two Philadelphia-based events, Equality Forum and the Philadelphia International Flower Show; two national companies, R Family Vacations and Miss Richfield; and one international organization, OutServe.

These novel marketing partnerships tie Philadelphia, a popular gay-friendly destination, with well-known entities within the LGBT community, and use advertising, public relations, social media, contests and special events to get the

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is about to make the most romantic month of the year even more romantic with its 29 Nights of Dates promotion running throughout the month of February. A component of GPTMC’s popular With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® campaign, which is heavily focused on couples this winter, the facebook.com/visitphilly sweepstakes features nearly 70 prizes, including a Vespa—all valued at more than $13,000.

Fox 29 is GPTMC’s media partner for the 29 Nights of Dates promotion and the official station of love this winter.

How It Works:
From February 1-29 (yes, it’s a leap year),

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation makes it easy to find fun things to do in the Philadelphia region thanks to a host of increasingly popular social media tools. Whether people like to connect with friends on Facebook, tweet from their smart phones, surf the Web or get the scoop delivered directly to their e-mail inboxes, they’ll see that it’s easy to stay in touch with Philadelphia and The Countryside®. Check out all the ways GPTMC connects visitors and residents to the city they love:

1. Facebook:

Philly’s Facebook fans receive see Philadelphia in their newsfeed a few times a

One of the country’s most successful tourism blogs, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation’s (GPTMC) uwishunu.com celebrates its fifth anniversary by launching Philly 101, a daily video series starring 101 Philadelphians who will share their Philly tips and insights (ones that you wish you knew). This engaging project comes after the site welcomed a record-breaking two million visits in 2011—that’s one million more visits than in 2010.

Philly 101:
The Philly 101 video series will launch in March 2012 and run for 101 days. People will find the videos on the GPTMC’s social media sites, such as facebook.com/visitphilly,

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is turning up the heat on its popular With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® campaign this winter by sending its sleepover message exclusively to couples, the most popular trip type from January through March according to a GPTMC hotel visitor survey. The $825,000 campaign—running January through March—will feature a new look, new love lines and a new 29 Nights of Dates sweepstakes featuring more than 60 prizes on facebook.com/visitphilly, all aimed at getting couples to spend a night or two in a Philadelphia hotel this winter.

29 Nights Of Dates:
Throughout the month

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) closed out 2011 on a winning note, thanks to 15 highly esteemed award recognitions honoring its website, blog and Philly 360°® tourism marketing campaign. Content enhancements to visitphilly.com (official visitor website), uwishunu.com (insider blog focused on what’s happening) and philly360.com (African-American events and goings-on) proved critical to the success of the sites, as was the creation of a mobile version of visitphilly.com. What’s more, visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com witnessed a record-breaking year in Web traffic, with 6.5 million visits, up 51% from 2010.

“It’s great to win recognition for our work, but the

With the autumn season in high gear, it appears that several major national publications and websites have fallen for Philadelphia. Recent issues of GQ, Saveur and Travel + Leisure have recognized Greater Philadelphia’s culture, neighborhoods, beer, restaurants, shops and innovative spirit. Here’s a look at what Philadelphia hotspots the media is buzzing about this fall:

The City Itself:

1. The October issue of GQ magazine touts the “new Philly revolution.” The article calls out A.K.A. Music, Sugarcube, Farmicia, The Foodery, Modo Mio and other hotspots between “the town’s two raddest neighborhoods—Old City and Northern Liberties.”
2. Men’s Health puts Philadelphia in

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) continues its momentum as the first destination to launch a major program on Foodspotting, the website and mobile platform that has recently surpassed one million users, by adding seven new guides to foodspotting.com/visitphilly. One of Time magazine’s “Best Websites of 2010,” Foodspotting is dedicated to helping people find and share good food.

New Guides:
Philadelphia’s newest guides cover everything from classic cocktails and perfectly brewed coffee to hard-to-resist hot dogs and heavenly hoagies. The addition of seven guides means visitors to foodspotting.com/visitphilly now have 21 themed food and drink lists from

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) recently received a nationally coveted Destiny Award from the U.S. Travel Association for its $3.25 million With Love, Philadelphia XOXO® campaign. Philadelphia competed against notable destination marketing organizations across the country for the honor of best full marketing campaign.

“This year’s Destiny Awards competition produced a number of standout entries,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO, U.S. Travel Association. “The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation’s winning With Love campaign truly reflected the depth of innovative and effective marketing programs now being carried out by our industry.”

Created in 1983, the Destiny Awards are