• by Tanya Gazdik , April 11, 2014

Atlantic City is giving Las Vegas a run for its money in its quest to lure tourism dollars to the gambling mecca.

The Atlantic City Alliance is spending $20 million on the tourism campaign to increase travel to the New Jersey city, which unlike Las Vegas, also has a seaside location to capitalize on.

The goal of the “Do Anything. Do Everything. DO AC” campaign is to broaden the city's image beyond gaming and to attract more leisure tourism.

The campaign breaks April 20 and includes TV, radio, print, digital and billboard advertising. The DO AC slogan was first launched in April 2012 and the call to action remains the same: DO AC.

Extending what the alliance describes as a “massive advertising buy” is an aggressive social media, activation and PR program. The online advertising is national while traditional advertising is concentrated in Atlantic City’s largest feeder markets: New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

A separate $1 million DO AC advertising campaign --  funded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and managed by the Atlantic City Alliance -- was launched earlier in April in Chicago and Houston to support new, non-stop service on United Airlines to Atlantic City International Airport.

The alliance partnered with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to launch a mobile-friendly website for DoAtlanticCity.com. The website is now responsive to a variety of smart phone technologies and for tablets, iPads and desktop computers.

The website adds more social media and direct marketing capabilities. Content improvements with new photos, videos and AC stories will be added over time. Events now take center stage and visitors can play a new “Who Am I in AC” game to help them discover their AC through itineraries.

Atlantic City will take center stage in TV shows that will film segments in Atlantic City including “Good Morning America,” “My Family Recipe Rocks with Joey Fatone” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

Last year’s marketing efforts have paid off, according to a report commissioned by the alliance.

Respondent’s “intent to visit” increased 21% comparing 2012 to 2013 with more than half of those who saw the advertising indicated they intend to visit after seeing the DO AC ads.

Since the launch of the DO AC campaign, Atlantic City now has a higher degree of awareness among potential visitors in several key categories: “a great getaway all-year round” and for “a variety of appealing activities” and “offers more than just gambling.” Respondents also say that Atlantic City appears cleaner and safer than before the campaign began.