Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the first phase of "This is New York City," the first-ever global multimedia communications campaign to promote New York City. The comprehensive, multi-lingual campaign - which starts today - includes television, print, online and outdoor advertising in ten countries on four continents. The campaign, which uses $30 million in advertising assets over one year, will ensure that New York City is aggressively promoted throughout the world in an increasingly competitive tourism industry. The campaign is a vital part of the plan to achieve the Mayor's goal of attracting 50 million tourists to New York City by 2015. The campaign's message, "This is New York City," is grounded in the central truth that the City offers visitors a range and diversity of experiences unmatched by any other destination in the world. As part of the campaign, the City's tourism website was revamped with customization tools to make traveling to the City easier than ever. In making the announcement, the Mayor was joined by Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Doctoroff, NYC & Company Board Chairman Jonathan M. Tisch and NYC & Company  CEO George Fertitta at NASDAQ headquarters in Times Square.

"Tourism is essential to our economy, which is why we strengthened NYC & Company and committed additional resources to bring more and more visitors to our world-class attractions, including our shops, restaurants, hotels and small businesses," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Everyone who has visited the City already knows about our unparalleled diversity, excitement, culture, shopping and entertainment - but we want the rest of the world to know that our doors are open and there is something here for everyone to enjoy. With 'This is New York City,' our visually stunning and innovative marketing campaign - the first ever undertaken by the City - we will continue to build upon our successes and help us reach our goal of attracting 50 million tourists to the City by 2015."

"The New York City experience simply is unlike any other, and while no campaign can make people feel that, we think we can make people want to feel it by giving them a glimpse of what this City has to offer," said Deputy Mayor Doctoroff. "The launch of this global campaign signifies our commitment to promoting New York City and achieving our goal of attracting 50 million visitors by 2015. I want to thank George Fertitta, Jon Tisch and NYC & Company for creating such a dynamic campaign that reflects the true character of New York."

The innovative marketing campaign was created by NYC & Company with their advertising agency of record, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York (BBH). The campaign's centerpiece is an eye-catching and innovative television spot that uses live action and animation to bring to life iconic images from the five boroughs, including Yankee Stadium, Times Square, Coney Island, the Staten Island Ferry and the Unisphere. Directed by Matthew Cullen and Jesus de Francisco of Motion Theory, the spot, which has 30- and 60-second versions, captures the energy, excitement and joy of a trip to the City. The television spot features a contemporary version of the classic "Take the A Train," a song that celebrates Harlem and the subway line that takes you there, remixed by Mint Royale, written by Billy Strayhorn and performed by Ella Fitzgerald. The spot will air on television in Spain, Ireland, France and the United Kingdom, and domestically it will air across the country as part of the City's unique partnership with The History Channel and other cable partners. The ad will also air on other channels in two regional markets, Boston and Philadelphia.

The outdoor and print advertisements all highlight different segments of the New York City experience - from shopping and fashion to entertainment and food. The campaign will include outdoor advertising on bus shelters in Brazil, Portugal, Italy and Spain, and domestically in cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, Miami and San Antonio. Much of the outdoor advertising was obtained through the City's ground-breaking street furniture contract with Cemusa. Print ads will run in magazines and newspapers in the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Germany, Boston and Philadelphia.

"The competition in the global tourism industry is fierce. Negative perceptions of the United States around the world, compounded by the lack of a coordinated national marketing effort, are only making things worse," said Chairman Tisch. "In the face of this, New York City was determined to take the lead by developing a new strategic and targeted global marketing campaign. With this bold strategy in place, we can ensure that we are - unquestionably - the world's premiere destination."

"This is an important moment for New York City, with the creation of the City's first true global communications campaign," said Fertitta. "Our goal was to create a campaign that would show visitors all the vibrancy, joy, energy and excitement that sets New York City apart from other destinations. We believe the multi-layered media elements - particularly the television spot - will create a feeling that will resonate with people worldwide, and inspire them to come experience this remarkable city for themselves." 

On the web, NYC & Company has revamped its website, nycvisit.com, which is available through nyc.gov, in order to make a trip to the City more manageable. The enhanced website features interactive customization tools that let users create a New York City experience to match their personal interests. The tool generates hotel, dining, shopping, culture, event and nightlife options - content provided by Time Out New York - for each user based on the results of a seven-question quiz. Users can then select options and save them to a personalized page with an interactive map.

Interactive banner ads will run on heavily trafficked websites such as Google, YouTube and Expedia.  The campaign also features partnerships with key international retailers and corporations to create travel and tourism programs and capitalizes on NYC & Company's new global network of offices. Future phases of the campaign will further explore the multi-layered meanings of "This is New York City."

The campaign is the result of the Mayor's continuing commitment to grow the City's travel and tourism industry. Nearly two years ago, Mayor Bloomberg created a single organization dedicated to promoting the City, NYC & Company, and announced $15 million in additional annual funding in order to attract 50 million visitors to New York City by 2015. The City is already ahead of schedule to achieve that goal; last year, the City welcomed 43.8 million visitors, which supported more than 350,000 jobs and had an annual economic impact of nearly $25 billion. The City has been particularly successful in attracting visitors from abroad. Overseas visitation to New York City is up 9% since 2000, while overseas visitation to the United States as a whole decreased by 17% in that same timeframe.

The City has expanded its global reach, opening a slate of international offices that brought its presence to 14 locations serving 21 countries worldwide. More recently, attention was focused closer to home with "Just Ask the Locals," a tourist appreciation campaign that called on residents citywide to thank visitors for coming to New York City and help them navigate the City while here.