For Mexico tourism, first came the swine flu crisis in 2009 and then this year's headlines about drug-gang violence in the country.
With these elephants in the room, the Mexico Tourism Board has launched a print, TV, online and outdoor advertising campaign to attract North American visitors and to tempt them with the allures of destinations beyond Cancun and Acapulco.
The DMO's campaign emphasizes how a Mexico vacation can help North Americans re-bond with friends and loved ones as they visit "the natural wonders, cultural riches and hip cities some people may never have thought existed in Mexico," according to a press release.
The marketing campaign has been tested with focus groups and developed by JWT, which came up with the tagline, "Mexico: The place you thought you knew."
Mexico's attractions undoubtedly can be very hip and culturally rich, but one has to wonder how effective this ad campaign will be when it doesn't even reference, even obliquely, the security concerns which have to be on the minds of many potential visitors.
Hey, one would assume the professional marketing folks know what they are doing, but ...
Take a look at one of the 30-second spots on YouTube.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbCnE6rAyc0
And, here's a print ad from the campaign that's posted on Flickr.
The target audience of the campaign is people 35 to 65 years old with incomes greater than $75,000 who are looking for off-the-beaten-track vacations and view these getaways as a way to bond with friends and family.
The Mexico Tourism Board doesn't detail how much it is spending on the North America campaign but says it is 30% more than its ad blitz in 2008, which the board considers its baseline year.