July 8, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Tony O’Leary
304-558-2286 / toleary@callwva.com
The West Virginia Division of Tourism will begin an aggressive advertising campaign next week to lure Washington D.C. commuters from the concrete beltway to the state’s scenic mountains.
The promotion, “Station Domination,” involves over-sized poster and backlit displays at 80 different points in the busiest sections in one of the city’s Metro Stations. Each display shows a West Virginia scene with a humorous message on why commuters should consider the Mountain State as a travel destination.
Such posters include a photo of a fisherman casting his line in a river with the line “More big mouths than the Sunday morning talk show circuit.” Another is a photo of a whitewater rafters going through a big rapid with the message “More bobbing and weaving than a Senate investigation.”
“More than 50,000 commuters pass through the station each day and they will walk past these 80 communications points showing some of our state’s best scenery,” said Liz Chewning, state travel director. “This campaign is designed to create curiosity and brand the state as a fun, attractive place. This will show West Virginia as a great getaway from the asphalt and congested urban life.”
The campaign runs from July 17 to August 17 and coincides with the arrival of Independence Air, the new lowcost airline, at Charleston’s Yeager airport. “The D.C. market has always been good to our Eastern Panhandle and eastern mountain destinations. Now that people can fly to Charleston and rent a car, the central, southern and western parts of the state are open to them as well. This means even more diversity of recreation and travel options for these travelers,” Chewning said.
Downloadable photos of the advertisements can be viewed at www.callwvanews.com. Or download them here (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader):
Download 7-meg file, Metro Station Ads 1 (PC: right click, choose 'save target as')
Download 7-meg file, Metro Station Ads 2 (PC: right click, choose 'save target as')
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West Virginia Division of Tourism • 90 MacCorkle Ave., SW • South Charleston, WV 25303
304-558-2200
or 1-800-CALL-WVA • FAX: 304-558-2459 • www.callwvanews.com