The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau enlisted former President George Bush, heart surgeon Denton Colley and others to help it tout the city as a desirable destination for conventions and other travelers.
The “My Houston” campaign will have various celebrities describing what they like best about the area.
The all-print campaign started earlier this month.
“This is different than anything we have done locally,” said Holly Clapham-Rosenow, vice president of marketing at the CVB.
In addition to the Bushes, the CVB has enlisted the help of celebrities such as boxer George Foreman, singers Johnny Nash and Yolanda Adams, and Houston Rockets star Yao Ming.
The idea for the campaign was born following the Meeting Planners International convention in January. The campaign was made after more than 1,500 meeting planners attending the convention said they had not been to Houston in five to eight years.
“It was safe to say that those meeting planners didn’t know Houston anymore, or at least didn’t know ‘my Houston,'” said Ms Clapham-Rosenow.
Instead of creating a typical promotional video featuring fast words and music with graphics of Houston landmarks, the bureau wanted to do something unique, which led to the creation of print advertisements featuring local celebrities, said the Houston Business Report.
Report by David Wilkening
