True York City

There is hardly any other city in the world that has as many nicknames as New York City. 'The Big Apple', 'NY', 'NYC', 'The City That Never Sleeps,' being just some of them. And now New York City's official destination marketing organisation - NYC & Company -- has revealed a global tourism campaign titled 'True York City', adding yet another name to the list. The campaign has gone live across the world with advertisements and promotions.

'True York City' showcases the unique culture produced by the 8.5 million residents of New York City's five boroughs. The campaign invites travellers to discover the iconic experiences the city is known for, as well as lesser-known aspects that can't be found anywhere else in the world.
 
"When people think New York City, they think authenticity," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "As the safest and most dynamic big city in America, we have endless cultural offerings that continue to make the five boroughs a global draw for tourists. But now with 'True York City,' we can give those travellers an even more genuine, bona fide New York City experience while helping our businesses and communities thrive at the same time."
 
"Over the last decade, New York City has grown into one of the world's most exciting and popular destinations, as evidenced by our record number of tourism-related jobs, almost double the number of international visitors and unprecedented economic impact, now the largest in the US; but we ask ourselves, where do we go from here?" said Fred Dixon, President and CEO of NYC & Company. "The answer is we go deeper by enticing tourists to become travellers. With 'True York City,' we celebrate the fact that we are the world's greatest creator and exporter of culture, and invite travellers who seek authentic experiences and appreciate the 'local,' from arts, design and retail to culture and cuisine. These travellers tend to stay longer and return often to explore both our iconic sights and our neighborhood gems-likely to be small businesses, locally owned and operated. The more integrated into the local culture the visitor becomes, the more positive the impact on the City and its residents," he added.
 
'True York City' is being introduced through NYC & Company's most expansive campaign presence to date, with media and partnerships running across 17 countries including the US. In-kind, partner and paid media contribute an approximate value of $15.6 million* globally with ad messaging "Famous Original NYC" and digital and content elements incorporating the overarching campaign of 'True York City'. The campaign reach utilises global media partner JCDecaux and media contributions from NYC & Company's city-to-city tourism alliances. 'True York City' was developed in-house by NYC & Company's marketing department.
 
"For a city that can't be defined by one single statement, one simple logo or a single spokesperson, 'True York City' is a platform to remind the world why we love our home," said Elan Cole, creative director of NYC & Company. "NYC is the most creative place on the planet, and we want to give the artists, designers, dancers, chefs, filmmakers, bartenders and writers the opportunity to speak to the rest of the world about why they love NYC through their chosen mediums."
 
Introductory campaign artwork depicts the phrase "Famous Original New York City," a tongue-in-cheek toast to the City, with typography using a sampling of NYC visuals from past and present as an art form. Graphics include an apple ('The Big Apple), five noise lines to represent the boroughs and the lively, energetic sound of NYC, and a heart, in homage to the love for NYC so widely shared around the world as well as to the iconic 'I Love NY' logo, which debuted 40 years ago.
 
Additional elements will debut in 2018, including a borough video series, a collection of visual art forms from various New York City personalities and, ultimately, participation by New York City locals with user-generated social content.
 
In 2016, New York City's travel and tourism sector saw a record-breaking year, with 60.5 million visitors and $43 billion in direct spending, the largest economic impact of any US destination. The industry also sustained a record 383,000 jobs for working New Yorkers in all sectors of the economy. In the past decade, the industry's contribution to City tax revenues has more than doubled to $4.2 billion. Half of the new hotels since 2006 have been built in the boroughs beyond Manhattan. The visitation forecast for year-end 2017 will increase to 61.8 million visitors, comprising 49.2 million domestic and 12.6 million international visitors.

Smita Tripathi

BW Reporters