NMTD Launches New Advertising Campaign

"The Best Place in the Universe. New Mexico, Earth"

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. October 14, 2008

SANTA FE, NM, April 16, 2007. From balloon fiestas to lava flow caverns, world-class skiing to pristine white sand fields, private spaceports to opera under the stars, New Mexico has a million amazing things to see and do. The state has long drawn tourists from near and far; now it has started attracting them from other worlds.

That's the creative idea behind the New Mexico Tourism Department's new ad campaign - "The Best Place In The Universe. New Mexico, Earth." - developed by M&C Saatchi LA.

"People that have not visited often either have no idea or the wrong idea about New Mexico," said Michael Cerletti, Secretary of New Mexico Tourism Department. "We needed a highly creative ad campaign to cut through the clutter of tourism advertising and encourage folks to consider the uniqueness of New Mexico."

The integrated campaign includes two 30-second TV commercials (entitled "Taking Care of You" and "Personal Day"), as well as four print executions - "Tourists," "Mountain Bike," "Golf" and "Fishing," which will appear in magazines, on billboards, taxi tops, coffee sleeves, etc. The campaign directs consumers to the campaign web page www.newmexicoearth.org, which includes a link to the New Mexico Tourism Department web site. The campaign will launch this week in New Mexico's traditional surrounding markets, as well as in two new test markets - San Diego, Calif., and Minneapolis, Minn.

"The message is that New Mexico truly is the best place in the universe to visit," said Johnny Montoya, Tourism Department Advertising Director. "These ads will be unique and eye-catching; and they will increase the awareness of New Mexico as a vacation destination."

"We're extremely proud of this campaign," said Huw Griffith, CEO of M&C Saatchi LA. "It's yet another example of our brutally simple thinking and creative hard sell."

The campaign was created by M&C Saatchi's Craig Ghiglione, senior copywriter, and Jay Gundzik, senior art director. The TV spots were directed by Matt Aselton at Epoch Films, post-production was by Chrome and Ring of Fire, and audio post-production by Lime. Still photography was by Eric Swanson. Media planning & buying is managed by Round2. Alien costumes designed by Stan Winston, designer for Aliens, Predator, Jurassic Park, and Terminator.