A $10 million campaign touting San Diego as a vacation destination was launched this week in major cities across the U.S., Canada, and Britain.
The San Diego Tourism Authority announced the multimedia initiative Thursday. It features television, print, digital and billboard advertising.
"In the highly competitive world of tourism, advertising and marketing are vitally important," said Joe Terzi, SDTA's president and CEO. "During the next several months, we will be promoting the destination extensively through multiple platforms to attract visitors to our region, in turn maximizing tax revenue for local governments."
The agency's "Follow the Signs to San Diego-Happiness is Calling" television ad is airing in traditional markets like Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle, as well as newly targeted cities like Chicago, Dallas and New York.
Visibility in the "Big Apple" already got off to a big start when the commercial aired numerous times in the last two weeks of 2015 on an electronic billboard in Times Square, which was busy for the holidays and jam-packed on New Year's Eve.
The campaign, which runs through June, also includes print ads in magazines like Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, Golf Digest, Sunset, Bon Appetit, Runner's World and Real Simple.
Digital ads will run on Hulu, ABC, Fox, TripAdvisor, and USA Today, among other outlets, as well as on digital billboards in Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Brand USA will handle advertising on digital platforms in Canada and the U.K., according to the SDTA.
The tourism agency hopes to build on last year's success, in which 34.2 million visitors came to San Diego and spent $9.9 billion at local attractions, shops and restaurants.
