Tourism Calgary is looking to draw in tourists with a new multi-media campaign to let them know that, despite the recent floods, the city and its attractions are open for business.

With creative and media by its agency of record, Venture Communications, and social media by Village&Co., the campaign is targeted primarily at adults aged 25 to 55, and was executed with additional funding from local businesses.

The initiative is national in scope, but focuses on key markets, including Toronto, Vancouver, Saskatoon, Regina and Edmonton. It relies primarily on a heavy radio buy on CBC radio, as well as across Shaw and Corus-owned radio stations, and digital spots on the sites for the Calgary Sun and the Calgary Herald.

These buys are supported by OOH in Regina, Saskatoon and Edmonton, a heavy social media presence, and a video spot, featuring local businesses and Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi, that Tourism Calgary is looking to run on TV.

Gisele Danis, VP of marketing, Tourism Calgary, says that the concept for the campaign came from the fact that the social media conversation about Calgary suggested that people still thought the city was under water.

She says Tourism Calgary developed its media strategy based on research from other cities that have experienced and recovered from flooding or other natural disasters, adding that a heavy media presence was necessary across all platforms in order for Tourism Calgary to reshape the conversation about the city and lure tourists back.

The campaign will run for three weeks, after which Danis says its performance will be assessed.

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