Certain states have well-known tourism slogans, like "I Love NY" and "Don't Mess with Texas." Connecticut is hoping that its new campaign, "Still Revolutionary," will soon join these ranks.
Seeking to boost tourism, Connecticut unveiled a new campaign on Monday: "Still Revolutionary". The new campaign will cost $27 million over two years. New advertisements for the initiative will air on television during "Sweeps Week," a time when competition is high for ratings in television, radio, and digital media.
Competition to attract tourists is also intense. In 2011, Connecticut's tourism industry employed approximately 111,000 people and generated about $1.2 billion in state and local tax revenue. In contrast, the state of New York employed an estimated 357,000 workers in the travel and tourism industry in 2010, according to the New York Department of Labor.
In fact, Governor Dannel P. Malloy's promotion of the state and his renewed interest in attracting tourists is a big turn-around from just two years ago. According to the Wall Street Journal, Malloy's predecessor, Governor M. Jodi Rell, slashed the tourism budget to just $1 in 2010. Kip Bergstrom, the state's deputy economic development commissioner, thinks that this decision affected not just the state's economy but also the residents' feelings about their state. Therefore, bringing a sense of pride to Connecticut residents is another objective of the campaign. "The lack of any state marketing to try to reinforce the positive attributes of the state created a condition," Bergstrom said. "Now, the medicine is to make a significant marketing investment to change the perception of Connecticut." He added, "Only 13 states can claim history as a differentiator. We're one of them."
Governor Malloy has been focused on increasing tourism since last year, when he freed up funds that allowed the state to rejoin the regional "Discover New England" campaign. Connecticut had been dropped from the campaign after budget cuts left it unable to pay $100,000 in membership dues for the region's tourism initiative.
"We're very excited and thrilled that we're finally back in business," said Rena Calcaterra, the marketing and public relations coordinator for the Office of Tourism. "We're appreciative that we have the funds to do this now. Not being in the market place was a drawback and now we're moving forward." The state has made significant strides. In nine weeks, Connecticut tourism moved from being 44th in the country to 7th. Moreover, Connecticut ranks 1st among states in New England.
The rise in popularity is also noticeable on the tourism office's Facebook page. "We went from having 5,000 likes on Facebook in January to over 100,000 today, so that's a really good sign," Calcaterra said. "What we did was we got more engaging. We did a sweepstakes and various things, and this is all part of the integrated marketing campaign. Prior to [the public announcement of the new brand], we were really focused on Facebook and social media."
In addition to the role the Constitution State played in the Revolutionary War, the Associated Press reports that the initiative for the "Still Revolutionary" brand will focus on how Connecticut contributed to the Industrial Revolution. There are many moments to highlight. Eli Whitney's cotton gin, for example, as invented close to New Haven, and the Colt factory mass produced weapons in Hartford.
There is a third revolution that the state made its mark on - the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s. In 1965, the Supreme Court ruled that a Connecticut law forbidding the encouragement of birth control usage was unconstitutional.
Malloy, known as a history buff, expects the new slogan to do well, saying, "I think its history throughout is worthy of note. People are responding to it."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
