The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) is launching its first national advertising campaign this month for gay and lesbian travelers.
The full-color print campaign, which is slated to initially run in six regional and national gay magazines and newspapers, features a series of 10 images, shown through the viewfinders of digital cameras. These showcase the diverse activities and experiences’ gay and lesbian visitors find in San Francisco.
The campaign was designed with input from a variety of sources.
The CVB, for example, commissioned Community Marketing, Inc., to survey gay and lesbian consumers on their travel habits, and to provide data and analysis.
The research, which consisted of an online survey (completed by over 1,600 respondents) and four focus groups (two in Seattle and two in Chicago) showed summary characteristics of recent visitors to San Francisco.
Highlights of this survey showed average per person daily spending of over $300 and an average annual household income of more than $100,000.
“This is a vital and ever-growing market for us and it’s important to remind gay and lesbian travelers of all there is to experience in San Francisco,” said Joe D’Allesandro, CVB president and CEO.
The motto for the new campaign: “You’ll have so many new stories to tell, you’ll need proof.”
The Travel Industry Association (TIA) 2006 Travel Survey concluded that San Francisco is the #1 gay-friendly destination in the US and Canada.
Report by David Wilkening
