terra non firma

bad puns and b listers - in the name of tourism

the LA convention and visitors bureau is going the obvious route to promote tourism - celebrities. we all know celebrity endorsements work for clothes, cosmetics and spicy burgers. why wouldn't it work for a city?

and in a town chock full of A listers, who was LA INC able to get pro bono to promote LA? why, none other than luminaries such as Lionel Richie, Tom Arnold, and Tony Danza. and of course, David Hasselhoff. but I can't hate on the hoff. (seriously, click this link. its awesome).

and then there is the issue of the copy. bad puns and platitudes abound. I have to assume LA INC also had copywriters working pro bono, because it feels like some agency AE handed the assignment over to their summer intern. to wit:

• "With all the clubs on the Sunset Strip, it's always a party," says actor Jason Behr
• "Where else but LA could I live, love, and eat so well?" muses Wolfgang Puck
• "There is nothing like going to the beach in January!" exclaims Tony Danza

and where will potential visitors encounter these ads? why, when they land at LAX, of course. and when they take the subway (as if). and of course in local media visitors will encounter when they're already here. if the purchase of the campaign is to help tourists avoid buyer's regret when they're already here, then job well done. but I have yet to meet an ad campaign whose purpose is solely to reinforce a consumer's product decision. so if they goal is to convince potential tourists to come to LA, then I have to ask, WTF?

posted by marissa @ 4:32 PM