• by Fern Siegel , October 24, 2023

New York is a cultural wonderland, but North Carolina wants New Yorkers to know real fall colors are best experienced in the Tar Heel state.

Luquire, the creative AOR for Visit North Carolina, has a new campaign to highlight the season. It has placed transparent leaf-shaped magnets and stickers across NYC — on subways, buses, street signs, taxis and brick walls.

The nonprofit wants urbanites to experience its Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains, among other sites, in the vibrancy of fall.

Entitled “For Real Fall Colors,” a 60-second spot shot in downtown Manhattan accompanies the out-of-home campaign, depicting the fall colors visible behind the posters.

"Being new to North Carolina, I can tell you the fall color here is absolutely worth a trip,” said Glen Hilzinger, chief creative officer at Luquire. “As part of our overarching ‘For Real, Visit NC’ campaign, we decided to literally reframe the manufactured colors New Yorkers are used to seeing in order to inspire them to see the real colors of North Carolina."

People's reactions to the installations go live this week across social media. As fall foliage migrates across the state from the mountains to the coast, Luquire will provide more scenic options for upcoming trips.

In 2024, the agency will utilize the assets again, along with new variations of footage, to launch a larger push starting in late summer.

Department of Commerce and Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina officials say the state benefited from $33.3 billion in visitor spending during 2022. Its coast saw significant visitation from various states, including Virginia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Maryland. The mountains’ most common out-of-state visitors were from South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee.

The current campaign is an effort to increase visibility and reach.