• by Erin Everhart , Staff Writer, 5 hours ago

I love to travel. Exploring all the nooks and crannies of a new city fuels me almost as much as live music.

For most cities trying to boost tourism, they tout attractions, the food scene, the hotel packages, that picturesque skyline shot at golden hour. The stereotypical things that most people look for when deciding where to go next. And I get it; it works. Why fix what’s not broken?

But there’s a school of thought in marketing that I personally love: this idea that when others zigs, you zag. When others stay neutral, you take a stand. When others avoid the comments section, you dive headfirst in. And right now, a lot of brands are zigging away from diversity, equity and inclusion. They’re softening language. Pulling back campaigns. Waiting for the cultural dust to settle.

Philadelphia is doing the opposite. They’re leaning in. Hard.

They’re offering banned books by Black Authors for free. They’re hosting Drag Queen Story Time. They’re using Pride, Black History Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month not as calendar obligations but as storytelling pillars tied directly to the city’s identity.

I’ll be honest: Philadelphia has never really been on my travel bingo card. I’ve been once, briefly, in my twenties, when I was considering a job that would’ve relocated me to the birthplace of America. I remember the Liberty Bell, the Reading Terminal Market, and some cobblestone streets. And then I filed Philly away in my brain as a place I should care about but didn’t really feel pulled toward.

But now, I could be convinced otherwise. This week, I sat down with CMO Neil Frauenglass to hear how Visit Philadelphia is doubling down on diversity marketing.

Listen to the entire podcast here and don’t miss Neil present at our Brand Insider Summit: Travel & Hospitality in Naples next month.