TOURISM BC AIMS SOUTH OF THE BORDER IN NEW MARKETING CAMPAIGN
By Adnews Staff
A new $5 million North American marketing campaign launched by Tourism BC is targeting potential visitors to British Columbia. The 2000 BC Escapes campaign will run for 12 weeks in 23 key markets in the U.S. and Canada. A mix of television and newspaper advertising, supported with a direct mail campaign, will run in the Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle and Portland areas. In Canada, advertising will be seen in Calgary and British Columbia. A new 30-second direct response television commercial will air on the Travel Channel in the U.S. as well as on other stations in the targeted U.S. markets. The cornerstones of the campaign are two BC Escapes 2000 guidebooks. A city guide highlights Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler, while an "adventures and experiences" guide features destinations elsewhere in the province. As a compliment to BC Escapes, Tourism BC is also launching a website at <http://www.HelloBC.com>. The site is designed to be a one-stop travel resource centre where prospective visitors can plan an itinerary, book accommodations and access tourism business. Launching in conjunction with the Web site is a new 1-800 Hello BC telephone number via which consumers can get travel information and book accommodations. The Web site was created by the Columbus Group of Vancouver. Advertising for Tourism BC is handled by Cossette Communication-Marketing of Vancouver.