• by Tanya Gazdik , February 22, 2018

Visit Philadelphia is focusing on its heritage as the “City of Brotherly Love” but is swapping out “Brotherly” for other words that describe the city’s attributes, such as “Spirited” and “Independent.”

The in-house creative team at the tourism agency developed the campaign to run in outdoor media, online, print and television through Sept. 22. The $1.4 million media buy targets residents in the New York and Washington, D.C. metro areas.

“Philadelphia” is Greek for “Brotherly Love.” More than 300 years ago, William Penn named the city for this ideal. The campaign both plays off Penn’s intention and evolves the organization’s popular “With Love, Philadelphia XOXO” campaign, launched in 2009. 

The new campaign uses eye-catching images from around the city. It kicked off with a dozen lines, including "City of Brotherly Love" and "City of Sisterly Love" to represent shared experiences, "City of Foodie Love" to spotlight Philly’s rich dining scene, and "City of Legendary Love" to show off historic icons and exhibits.

“Love has always been at the core of our mission, and at the core of Philadelphia itself,” said Meryl Levitz, president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia, in a release. “This new advertising campaign presents many dimensions of what Philly offers to a wide array of visitors who want to do more than sightsee — they want to sight-do.” 

The campaign includes billboards, transit screens, digital and TV. Main hubs for outdoor advertisements include Secaucus Junction in Secaucus, N.J., Port Authority Bus Terminal at 8th Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City, Dupont Circle Metro Station, and Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. In June, the campaign will overtake New York’s Penn Station as part of the tourism group’s annual “Penn Station Domination.” 

Billboards also appear along New Jersey’s Route 30, I-95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, with digital billboards along I-95 and throughout Northern New Jersey. TV will air in the Philadelphia market on CBS3, 6ABC, NBC Sports and Comcast Spotlight.