The San Diego Tourism Authority, a publicly-funded nonprofit, is attracting visitors to San Diego with an advertising campaign consisting of three murals on the sides of buildings in downtown areas of New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.
The tourism authority is partnering with Tripadvisor on the mural art campaign. Creative credit goes to Wanderlab, Tripadvisor’s in-house creative and content studio. The authority calls its mural building campaign “The Sunny Side of Things.”
A spokesperson told Times of San Diego that while the authority hired Tripadvisor and Wanderlab to oversee the building mural creation, the authority provided feedback, including the selection of muralists. The spokesperson declined to disclose the campaign budget.
“Each of the murals provide a unique view into the vibrant culture, beaches, attractions and outdoor activities that await visitors in America’s Finest City,” according to a statement. The dimensions of the murals vary depending on the building sides.
The New York City mural, featuring the authority’s “Happiness is Calling” slogan, was painted by San Diego-based artist Channin Fulton at 102 Ludlow Street at Delancey Street on the Lower East Side.
Los Angeles’ mural, showing a sea lion, taco and Volkswagen bus, was painted by Hanna Gundrum. Its location is 600 North La Brea Avenue at Clinton Street.
Chicago’s mural, painted by San Diego-based artist Phoebe Chornog, features a bright pink background with images of a pelican, surfboard, palm street, sun glasses, hang-glider and flip-flops. It appears at 740 West Randolph on the West Loop.
Each mural includes a QR code that viewers can scan for tourist information about San Diego and a chance to win a San Diego Sunshine Kit filled with products and admission tickets to the San Diego Zoo, Legoland California and Petco Park.
“We are excited to join forces with Tripadvisor and bring the San Diego brand to life through beautiful visuals, creative expression and cutting-edge technology,” said Kerri Verbeke Kapich, the tourism authority’s chief operating officer. “Our partnership with Tripadvisor empowers the San Diego Tourism Authority to propel our beloved destination towards greater heights and engage travelers to plan a visit to San Diego through experiential activations.”
The authority’s efforts benefit the San Diego economy. In 2022, the region welcomed more than 28 million visitors who spent $13.6 billion and generated $360 million in Transit Occupancy Tax revenues. The tourism industry is the second largest segment of San Diego’s economy, creating 214,000 jobs that employing one in every eight San Diegans.
The American Marketing Association’s San Diego chapter recently presented its 2023 Sandie Awards that recognized creative, inspiring and effective marketing.
From the 134 entries submitted by 68 different organizations, only 18 awards were presented. That means roughly 13% of entrants won an award, which is a fairly low ratio. Other professional networking groups with awards programs typically present between 20% and 40% of entrants with an award.
In an email to Times of San Diego, Frank Cowell, 2023 president, AMA San Diego chapter, said, “Prior to opening up submissions to the public, our team identified 18 categories, which is on par with what many local marketing clubs offer in their awards programs. Whether we received 18 submissions or 180 submissions, there were going to be 18 winners.”
The per-entry cost for the Sandies began at $85 for AMA members and reached up to $135 for nonmembers.
Cowell said, “In any awards program, the vast majority of entrants will not win an award. That said, for anyone that has ever gone through the process of submitting for a marketing award will tell you, there is always a lot of value gained from the process, whether one wins an award or not. I speak from personal experience, having submitted for many awards over the years and winning very few.”
Four Sandie awards entrants won multiple awards.
Three awards went to the San Diego Tourism Authority in the diversity, equity and inclusion category, and two awards to The Shipyard, the authority’s advertising agency, in the influencer marketing and integrated campaign categories.
Two awards apiece went to Soapy Joe’s in the experiential marketing and marketing innovation categories and Jack in the Box-Small Girls PR in the single print-digital ad and social media category.
Single award winners included Buchannan Brand + Design, InnoVsion Marketing Group, Court Avenue, VSSL Agency, Red Door Interactive, Women in Business at the University of San Diego, Voices for Children, San Diego Foundation, San Diego Opera, Planned Parenthood of Pacific Southwest and Clearpoint Agency.
The awards, presented May 11 at the Town and Country Resort Hotel in Mission Valley, recognized creative, inspiring and effective marketing created by or for a San Diego-based company, including consultancies, corporations, educational institutions and nonprofits between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022.
Judges for the San Diego AMA entries were members of an AMA chapter in Nebraska, an AMA spokesperson said.
Cowell said, “To make the process completely fair and remove any possibility of local favoritism, the judges we engaged were from AMA chapters outside of San Diego.
“I have only heard rave reviews about our event, which our board was proud to have executed after not having an awards program for years. Our all-volunteer team is excited to build-upon the recent success and make next year’s experience even better.”
A list of winners and event photos can be viewed at sandieawards.org.
San Diego-based Crowe Public Relations reports it has added the Lopesan Costa Bávaro Resort, Spa and Casino in the Dominican Republic and The Eliza Jane Hotel in New Orleans to its hospitality client roster.
With 1,042 guest rooms, the Lopesan Costa Bávaro is a five-star resort in the city of Punta Cana. The resort features seven fresh-water swimming pools, 10 dining options, casino, 16 bars and a spa.
Crowe PR’s work with the Lopesan Costa Bávaro will include message development, media relations, thought leadership strategies and influencer marketing. The Crowe team also will facilitate and oversee familiarization tours and influencer and media stays to drive brand awareness and international bookings for the high-end beachside resort, a statement said.
“Lopesan Costa Bávaro is an incredible property and one of the best-kept secrets for U.S. travelers,” said Anna Crowe, CEO and founder, Crowe PR. “We’re thrilled to partner with this one-of-a-kind resort as we continue to grow our international presence and support leading hospitality global brands.”
The Eliza Jane is a 196-room upscale boutique hotel that’s part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt. It features 1,800-square-feet of event space, an open-air interior courtyard and many original property elements. The hotel, opened in March 2018, is named after Eliza Jane Nicholson, the first woman in the country to publish a major newspaper. She operated The Daily Picayune newspaper from 1876 to 1896.
Crowe PR will support the property with media relations tactics, messaging development and refinement, awards submissions and influencer partnerships, a statement said.
“After spending time at The Eliza Jane and with its talented team, we not only experienced one of the best hotels in the country but found ourselves a goldmine of beautiful story opportunities,” said Crowe. “We’re thrilled to partner with The Eliza Jane and add this memorable property to our portfolio.”
Crowe’s other hospitality clients include hotels and restaurants in Memphis, Nashville, Franklin, Birmingham, Huntsville, Washington D.C., Houston, Texas and San Diego.
Founded in 2014, Crowe PR specializes in public relations, thought leadership, social amplification, crisis communications, influencer marketing and content creation services for healthcare technology, consumer goods and hospitality brands.
The San Diego Union-Tribune has two paid summer internship programs for aspiring journalists. Deadline for applications is Thursday, June 1. All applicants will receive email notification of the selection committee’s decision by June 8.
College students are invited to apply for the U-T’s, eight-week 2023 internship program. Applicants should demonstrate a strong record of participation in journalism or community leadership. Students must be enrolled in an academic program through a San Diego County college or university and have a legal right to work in the U.S.
A statement said college students will gain experience in reporting and writing, interviewing, researching, investigating and covering news from a community perspective. Interns will be placed on various beats, including public safety and courts, border, enterprise, arts and entertainment, sports, business, opinion photography and video and data visualization. For information, visit www.sandiegouniontribune.com/interns.
In addition, as part of the U-T Community Journalism Scholars Program, high schools students are invited to apply to learn about community journalism from June 19 to July 14. Applicants who are first-generation college students will be given special consideration. For information, visit www.sandiegouniontribune.com/journalism-scholars.
For additional information on both internship programs, contact Luis Cruz, U-T community and public relations director, at luis.cruz@sduniontribune.com.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.
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