It’s the largest ever advertising spend in any international market by the Los Angeles Tourism Board, not to mention the largest advertising spend in Australia by a US city tourism office in history. They like us — they really like us.
The groundbreaking campaign launches today in collaboration with Visit California, and includes a AU$2.2 million media buy out, with Aussies being invited to discover what’s “Now Playing” in the City of Angels.
Australia was the second largest international source market into Los Angeles in 2019, pre-pandemic, second only to China. And according to Los Angeles Tourism we’re on track to meet those pre-pandemic levels by 2024 or 2025 at the latest.
“Aussies and Angelenos have a long history of friendship, due to our similar climates, attitudes and way of living,” Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board Chief Marketing Officer Don Skeoch said.
“We’re excited to warmly welcome Aussies back to our shores once again to experience all of the unique, ‘only in L.A.’ attractions, experiences and events that the City of Angels has to offer.”
Raising the curtain on the campaign
EXTERIOR. LOS ANGELES. FADE IN. A writer is hard at work on a screenplay that describes a group of friends as they discover Los Angeles and its famed attractions such as Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Griffith Park by the Hollywood Sign, and Venice Beach.
This 30-second video leads the campaign, which will run in Australian until March 2023, only launching in other overseas markets in late September 2023.
The new “Now Playing” creative is shot on location at several iconic L.A. sites and features Southern Californian DJ, record producer and executive Steve Aoki; along with narration by stage, screen and TV veteran Jenifer Lewis.
Skeoch said, “Now Playing instantly evokes what’s unique about Los Angeles”.
“With this campaign, we’ve combined the vocabulary of the screenwriter and the visual language of cinema to creatively capture what makes L.A. an unparalleled visitor destination.”
A California preview
Visit California partnered on the campaign, recognising not only California’s position as the gateway to North America, but also Los Angeles often being the gateway into California.
LAX currently welcomes 44 non-stop direct flights from Australia each week, which means the airport received over half (56%) of Australian visitors compared with other North American airports.
“California has always been the first stop for Aussies dreaming of visiting the United States, and we invite them to return to explore all of the dreamworthy experiences on offer,” Visit California President & CEO Caroline Beteta said.
“Since 2020, California has truly seen a renaissance of new hotels, attractions and cultural wonders, especially in Los Angeles. There has never been a better time to visit.”
Behind the scenes
To assist with planning and recovery efforts, Los Angeles Tourism recently celebrated the ten year anniversary of having a Sydney based office, which remained open during the pandemic despite the closed borders.
