MEXICO CITY, Mexico -- The Mexico Tourist Promotion Board in
October will launch a major tourism advertising blitz that its
creators are calling unprecedented for its inclusion of the
country's varying destinations and tourism suppliers.
Scheduled to launch the first week in October on national cable
networks like CNN and the Travel Channel, the campaign will carry
the tagline "Discover the Many Moods of Mexico."
The campaign will kick off with an initial budget of
approximately $10 million, although officials are looking to secure
another $5 million to finance the entire push through March,
2001.
Officials said a "significant" portion of the campaign's budget
will be derived from the $15 Mexico Visitor Entry Fee imposed last
year on tourists. Airline travelers pay the fee when they purchase
tickets.
The campaign will include four-color print ads in major daily
newspapers, travel trade journals, and travel and specialty
magazines that will run concurrently with the TV spots.
In addition, a Web site scheduled for launch in mid-October, www.visitmexico.com, will educate browsers about the
country's tourism offerings and include links to participating
travel suppliers. The site will include dedicated sections for
travel agents and meeting planners.
The effort also will include 30-second radio spots, although
those won't kick off until early next year.
An executive with Orlando, Fla-based Yesawich, Pepperdine and
Brown, the advertising agency that created the campaign on behalf
of the Consejo de Promocion Turistica de Mexico, the country's
tourist promotion board, called the campaign unprecedented for the
size of its budget and the scope of its cooperative approach.
"The centerpiece of the campaign is that Mexico is a very
diverse county," said Miguel Poplawsky, executive vice president,
Latin America division. "We're saying 'not only are there many
different destinations within Mexico, but many different niche
market travel possibilities.'"
Among the niche markets targeted by the campaign will be
adventure travelers, honeymooners, visitors interested in Mexican
heritage and culture, gastronomes and business travelers, Poplawsky
said.
Although he didn't reveal the names of suppliers, Poplawsky said
the campaign will be a "major cooperative effort" with
participation from regional governments, hotel chains, airlines,
tour operators and credit card companies, among others.
He said the campaign also may include a nationally syndicated
one-hour radio show in English that would promote Mexican tourism
and "appeal to the public's growing fascination with Latin music
and culture."