Visit Philadelphia Launches Advertising Campaign in Atlanta as Part of New Fly-Market Strategy

PHILADELPHIA, July 16, 2024 – Visit Philadelphia has launched advertising in the Atlanta metropolitan area for the first time, marking the tourism marketing agency’s first marketing efforts in a fly-market destination in years.

A suite of newly developed out-of-home and digital advertisements are live across the Atlanta region as part of Visit Philadelphia’s Come For Philadelphia. Stay for Philly. campaign. These ads highlight key Philadelphia themes, including events and festivals, arts and culture, culinary offerings, and walkability.

“Expanding our advertising into air-travel markets gives us the opportunity to attract travelers from greater distances, encouraging them to book longer overnight stays. These stays typically exceed the duration of visits from those traveling within a drive-market radius,” said Angela Val, president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia. “This strategy aims to boost the number of trips and hotel bookings, while also helping us fulfill our mission of enticing more people to do more, spend more and stay longer in the Greater Philadelphia region.” 

To identify the themes highlighted in this campaign, Visit Philadelphia relied on research from media agency USIM, as well as Tourism Economics for data about the spending habits of Atlanta residents who visit Philadelphia and Ipsos for data regarding diverse travelers to Philadelphia. Entering the Atlanta market folds into Visit Philadelphia’s overall efforts to appeal to diverse visitors, including African American travelers; 48% of the population in Atlanta identifies as Black or African American, according to the U.S. Census. Visit Philadelphia coupled these insights with input from leaders at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau to round out its marketing strategy.

“We’re optimistic about the impact our campaign, which speaks directly to Atlanta residents with fun and relevant messages, will have on visitation and economic impact in 2024,” said Neil Frauenglass, chief marketing officer at Visit Philadelphia. “Our research from Tourism Economics shows that based on credit card spend, travelers from Atlanta spent more than $1.4 million in our region in 2023, representing a 24% year-over-year increase and illuminating potential for further development.” 

All of the new ads are additions to Visit Philadelphia’s Come For Philadelphia. Stay for Philly. campaign, which launched in early 2023 and encourages travelers to explore the city’s lesser-known sites and attractions in addition to its many iconic mainstays. The newly developed ads include phrases such as:

• “Come for the Powdered Wigs and Petticoats. Stay for the Suits and Streetwear.” (Philly Fashion Week)
• “Come for the Founding Fathers. Stay for Mother Bethel.” (The church on the oldest parcel of land in the U.S. continuously owned by African-Americans)
• “Come for the Untouchable History. Stay for the Please Touch Museum.” (Philadelphia’s iconic children’s museum)

Other ads launching in Atlanta highlight various destination-defining accolades Philadelphia has received recently, as well as specific characteristics about Atlanta, like its short flight time from Philadelphia. For example:

• “The most walkable city in America? Philly. How do ya like them peaches?” in a nod to Philadelphia landing the Most Walkable City in the U.S. moniker in the USAToday Reader’s Choice Awards in 2024 and 2023. 
• “Just a two-hour flight to one of the 10 best cities to visit on the planet in 2024. Thanks, Lonely Planet!” in reference to Philadelphia receiving a “Best in Travel” 2024 accolade from the travel publication.
• “Southern Hospitality Meet Brotherly Love,” pointing to the personalities of each destination.

A photo gallery of all the ads launching in Atlanta is available here.

Visit Philadelphia ads will be displayed within the perimeter of Atlanta, referring to a geographic area of the city outlined by Interstate 285. The campaign employs various mediums, including traditional print and digital billboards, plus programmatic ads in doctor’s offices, on TVs, on jukeboxes in bars, atop taxis, in Ubers and more. Ads will also be shown across social media channels such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. 

Visit Philadelphia launched Atlanta marketing efforts this summer with a goal of driving travel to Philadelphia in the fall, when Atlanta public schools have an October break.

In developing the campaign, Visit Philadelphia also worked with Philadelphia International Airport to identify potential fly markets for increased marketing efforts. On average, between 13 and 17 nonstop flights operate each day between Atlanta and Philadelphia across five carriers: American Airlines, Delta, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines, according to FlightsFrom.com. The approximate round-trip price for these flights is $130.

“Philadelphia International Airport is an important first stop for many travelers from Atlanta as our second top domestic destination in terms of passenger volume,” said Atif Saeed, CEO of Philadelphia International Airport. “Visit Philadelphia’s campaign to appeal to the Atlanta market creates an opportunity to encourage more travelers to consider Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the surrounding metro region as a place to visit and stay — ultimately encouraging more air travel, which we and our airline partners appreciate.”

About Visit Philadelphia

Visit Philadelphia® is our name and our mission. As the region’s official tourism marketing agency, we build Greater Philadelphia’s image, drive visitation and boost the economy. On Greater Philadelphia’s official visitor website, visitphilly.com, visitors can explore things to do, upcoming events, themed itineraries and hotel packages.

Compelling photography and videos, interactive maps and detailed visitor information make the site an effective trip-planning tool. Visitors can also find loads of inspiration on Visit Philly’s social media channels.

Note to Editors: For high-resolution photos and high-definition B-roll of Greater Philadelphia, visit the Photos & Video section of visitphilly.com/mediacenter.