QCOSTARICA – The promotional campaign Save The Americans y Save The Canadians (for the Canucks) by the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT), to attract more tourists to the country, didn’t come cheap.
The tourist boars says it paid US$3.3 million dollars for video ad that will start its run in major north American markets on December 17 to January 2016.
The ad campaign targets people who work endlessly, suggesting Costa Rica as a natural haven for their dream vacation. According to the ICT, the United States is considered a developed country where people work excessively – more than 8 hours a day and on weekends.
The United States (and Canada) represents 50% of tourist arrivals to our country. In the first nine months of the year, tourist arrivals from North America were 967.851.
Wilhelm von Breymann, Ministro de Turismo (Tourism Minister) said the campaign reinforces the feelings of many that Costa Rica is a vacation oasis and the perfect escape for a break from the daily grind and the ability to live an authentic travel experience.
“We want to reach our main tourism markets with a strong message that in our country they can find refuge to escape the overwhelming routine and regain strength,” emphasized von Breymann.
The strategy includes actions such as launching a music video produced in Costa Rica. This video is available on YouTube, the social media and also in theatres in cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Houston, San Antonio, San Diego and Dallas.
Also, the ICT has plans to launch the website www.savetheamericans.org with information for tourists to plan their travel routes and more than 30 promotional videos from various parts of the country.
Alejandro Castro, marketing director at the ICT market, explained that the campaign also includes billboard ads in Chicago and Toronto, which will be complemented with digital content and banners on sites like YouTube, Google, New York Times, Yahoo, Outbrain, Matador Network, among others.
“These tactics seek to capture the most number of people in a different way, with the aim of generating multiple comments for the creativity and most importantly, the interest of people to know our country,” Castro said.
The ad campaign was produced in the United States by the ad agency, 22Squared.
