Scottsdale launches holiday advertising campaign

PHOENIX — The city of Scottsdale is already looking ahead to the holidays with the launch of its holiday tourism campaign.

Every year the city advertises visiting Scottsdale in places such as Chicago and New York as a way to draw tourists to the city.

This year however, Megan Doyle, community affairs manager with the city’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau said the campaign is branching out into new territory.

“We’re looking at some secondary markets for us that might be emerging in the next few years and that’s Seattle and Boston, Dallas (and) Philadelphia,” Doyle said.

She said the bureau is testing those markets to see how they respond.

“They’re a little more budget conscious but they’re really looking for culture and adventure, so we’re kind of going after that secondary target market as a test,” Doyle said. “So we’re excited to see what that brings this year.”

The campaign will include email, direct mail and social media to advertise the city’s warm climate and various activities visitors can do during their time in Scottsdale.

Doyle said this year is also unique because it also includes a contest.

“We’re also running a contest that’ll be on ScottsdaleHolidayExperience.com,” she said. “(It) includes round-trip airfare and also a stay at a resort.”

The holiday season is important to Scottsdale’s economy Doyle said. In 2012, the city’s holiday campaign brought a 7.2 percent increase in visitation to the city’s hotels and resorts during the months of November and December.