Destination Toronto is being more conceptual this year as it tries to lure Americans from key urban markets.

The tourism body unveiled the latest installment of the “You Gotta See What We See” series.

In the creative, Toronto-born Julien Christian Lutz – the music video director also known as Director X – offers a split-screen love letter to the city, with juxtaposed images like the CN Tower with Scarborough Bluffs, fine dining with local eateries and Pride celebrations with Caribana. Juno-winner artist Mustafa the Poet lends his voice and penned the prose, describing the city as a “doorway to identity.”

Paula Port, VP of global marketing at Destination Toronto, says it’s a less literal approach than the more straight-ahead documentary-style creative it deployed in 2022, where Marvel star Simu Liu shared his favorite city sights. That campaign was a hit, and generated 39 million video views and 1.2 million website visits.

This year’s change in approach is less about that campaign’s success and more about embracing the creative perspective of the artists it works with – the split screen, for example, was a storytelling device devised by Director X. The content, therefore, is more geared around how the city feels.

Director X’ and Mustafa’s video perspective is in-market now with additional collaborations launching later this summer and into the fall. The media plan is focused on young, affluent urbanites in New York City, New Jersey, San Francisco, San Jose, Chicago and Washington D.C. Viewers are directed to DestinationToronto.com to find other Toronto insiders and discover their Toronto stories.

The form of the video, which features fewer specific attractions and things to do and is more about the feel and culture of Toronto, helps it seem like more of a destination for people who already have access to the things a large urban centre offers.

“Toronto I think is recognized as a large, urban, cosmopolitan city but how does it differentiate from those other urban destinations to travelers in the U.S. and how do we stand out?” According to Port, it’s the city’s diversity, food and festivals, showcased in the spot and don’t exist anywhere else.

“We have doubled down, [and] there is a real opportunity for us coming out of the pandemic,” Port says, telling strategy this campaign represents a 50% increase in media investment versus what was put in market in 2022. “It’s a significant shift for us to really reignite that U.S. market.”

According to Port, the current campaign is heavily reliant on digital display, social and YouTube, as well as a partnership with U.S. publisher Hearst. It’s also trying new ad formats in TikTok and connected TV.

Bensimon Byrne did the creative, with Wavemaker on the buy.