Just in time for the summer travel season, MGH, an advertising and public relations agency based in Owings Mills, has launched a new television and radio campaign for Ocean City.
The campaign, tagged “More Fun Here,” seeks to differentiate the popular seaside resort from other vacation destinations in the ultra-competitive summer resort category.
According to John Patterson, the agency?s creative director, what makes Ocean City so unique is the plethora of things to see and do, from beaches and restaurants to things like parasailing and nature excursions. He and his team wanted to convey that there is something for all tastes, whether the tourists are families with children, empty-nesters or singles traveling with friends.
“The theme line ?More Fun Here? sort of, in one fell swoop, is a complete statement and a statement of fact,” Patterson said.
“The job we had to do was simply remind people of all the things to do in Ocean City.”
The campaign?s two television commercials convey that theme in different ways, Patterson said. The first features a family enjoying a day at the beach as a banner plane flies overhead listing all of the activities in Ocean City. The endless banner continues to pass by as the sun sets and the spot ends, conveying the resort?s limitless options.
The second spot is set to upbeat music and features a graphical icon, similar to those found on school crossings and other signs, that morphs into various poses representing all of the activities available in Ocean City.
The campaign will run throughout the summer and will target travelers in Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia and select suburban markets in Pennsylvania.
The department is spending a significant portion of its more than $1 million marketing budget, said Deborah Travers, assistant director of the Ocean City Department of Tourism.
She added that while the radio and television commercials convey all of the activities in Ocean City, she really wanted them to stand out in the marketplace.
“Trends in destination marketing [feature commercials that] are very emotional,” she said.
“We think our ads will stand out from the others because they?re very fun ? they definitely grab your attention. I think they?ll make people want to find out more about what we have to offer.”
Some Ocean City facts
» The resort town attracts more than 8 million people each year.
» It features 10,000 hotel rooms and more than 150 restaurants.
» The town was founded on July 4, 1875.
