The Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) will launch a new $10 million marketing and branding campaign in North America, designed to inspire tourism to Aruba by showcasing the island's most important asset -- its people. Developed by Lowe New York, the campaign's tagline, "90,000 Friends You Haven't Met Yet," communicates the feeling that visitors to Aruba are not tourists, but instead get so immersed in Aruban culture that they start to feel like locals themselves. Individual ads feature local spa owners, chefs, windsurfers, musicians and other personalities who make vacations to Aruba memorable. "In today's economy, it's increasingly important to differentiate Aruba from other island destinations and communicate the high value offered to travelers," said Edison Briesen, minister of tourism and transportation. "The new campaign highlights the key points that separate Aruba from the 'sea of sameness' in the Caribbean, from year-round ideal weather to the variety of enriching experiences we offer."
The campaign officially launched on Oct. 6 with print, transit and digital advertisements running in both national and key regional markets, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Hartford/New Haven and Chicago. Subway ads have started running in Boston and New York. Wild postings featuring various "Aruba Friends" also have been placed in various locations throughout both cities, where they will remain through the end of the year. Print advertisements will appear in publications such as New York magazine, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Cookie and Bon Appetit. Online advertisements can be found on popular websites such as Expedia.com, Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com, TheKnot.com and SpaFinder.com, among others.
Each ad in the series features an actual Aruba native telling his or her own story about who they are and why they love Aruba, giving consumers a chance to "meet" and get to know real locals before ever setting foot on the island. The personalities featured in the ads were selected through a nationwide casting call on Aruba. The handwritten ad copy tells their personal stories, which are typical of the warm and welcoming people across the island, while photography showcases the natural beauty of the Aruban landscape. This month, the campaign will expand to include a series of films featuring well-known comedian Lewis Black. The vignettes feature Lewis Black and his encounters with new Aruban friends during a trip to Aruba, which will first appear in cinemas and online. Starting in 2009, the ads will also begin running on regional TV. For more information, call 800-TO-ARUBA or visit www.aruba.com.
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