Manchester may be known for many things – Joy Division, The Smiths, Happy Mondays, the Gallagher brothers and, more recently, as the perfect city for digital start-ups – but now it is aiming to be a tourist hotspot, too, following the appointment of Rapp to appeal to the American market.
The move sees Marketing Manchester, VisitBritain and Virgin Atlantic Airways join forces and represents the first time that travel and leisure companies have worked together with the single objective of persuading US citizens to visit Manchester and the North of England.
Both Rapp UK and Rapp US will collaborate on the campaign, targeting what the agency calls “aspirational and adventurous travellers with a millennial mind-set”, which it insists equates to around 11.9 million Americans.
Launching later this month, the first campaign will also highlight Virgin Atlantic’s new direct routes to Manchester from San Francisco and Boston with the aim of boosting interest, and in turn increasing visitor numbers and bolstering spend in the region.
Running on digital and outdoor media across the US, the campaign will also involve a series of PR initiatives.
Marketing Manchester managing director Sheona Southern said: “Rapp has shown lots of energy, confidence and passion for the project from the initial pitch and we are confident that they have the experience to produce a strong campaign. We’re excited to work in partnership with Virgin Atlantic and VisitBritain to launch the campaign.”
Rapp executive creative director Ben Golik added: “Manchester is a city with swagger. We created a campaign with equal confidence – showing the city as the gateway to the North and how starting there begins an adventure that ends in the most unexpected ways.”
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