The rest of the world really does envy the L.A. lifestyle, it turns out – so much so that it’s a driving factor for why people visit.
To capitalize on that, Discover Los Angeles, the city’s tourism marketing arm, has launched a campaign focused on selling visitors on the “feeling” of the city.
“We wanted to convey the experience of getting into the L.A. frame of mind and invite viewers to feel the palpable energy of the city,” said Don Skeoch, chief marketing officer of Discover Los Angeles.
He said the organization decided to take this approach after a focus group showed that while visitors are interested in things to do in the city, they are most interested in the lifestyle and vibe of Los Angeles.
The campaign debuted domestically during the Super Bowl. The marketing effort, which includes photo and video advertisements, interactive digital ads, and social media marketing, will also have air time during the Grammys and Oscars.
The campaign then will roll out in Mexico and the United Kingdom on Feb. 20, followed by a debut in China, Canada, and Australia later this year. These countries are the top five international markets for L.A. tourism.
Skeoch said Discover Los Angeles was paying particular attention to Mexican tourists after tourism industry concerns about the impact of strained U.S.-Mexico relations.
A preliminary figure from Tourism Economics, an independent research group, projected that Los Angeles County could face a potential three-year loss of 800,000 international visitors as a direct result of President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders and the current political climate, Skeoch said. However, Tourism Economics projected visitation to Los Angeles would continue to increase year over year in 2017, he added.
“Mexico has been and remains our top international market, and our 2016-2017 plans included advertising in this market,” Skeoch said. “This said, we did feel that it was more important than ever that we take the opportunity to reinforce how much we, in Los Angeles, value our visitors from the south.”
