New Park Avenue – National Park Foundation campaign – Brief Article
Mike Beirne
Kodak, Ford Join National Park Pitch
The National Park Service and fundraising arm National Park Foundation have enlisted American Airlines, Eastman Kodak, Ford Motor, Discovery Communication and Time magazine for its “Experience Your America” campaign, designed to show there’s more to U.S. parks than just the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.
Using its corporate partners’ resources–which will tally about $85 million in cash and in-kind marketing support–the National Park partners aim to tell a diverse audience that there are 384 parks, including overlooked locales like Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site in Atlanta and Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, N.Y.
The effort, with tagline developed by Ogilvy Public Relations, Washington, seeks to counter the common misconception found through consumer research that National Parks are merely the big nature ranges out West.
“We’re using this to get that message out there,” said Jill Nicholl, vp and coo of the Foundation. “There will be no commercial footprint in the parks. Our partners did not ask for that. This campaign is just a way to associate themselves with the National Parks.”
American Airlines will provide the direct marketing attack by touting the National Parks Pass–a $50 annual pass good for all National Parks that charge entrance fees–to AAdvantage frequent flyers via the Web, newsletters and inflight through American Way magazine. AAdvantage members will also earn frequent-flyer miles for donations to the foundation.
Kodak will expand a photo contest that tested last year with nationwide POP starting in May–a step up from last year’s challenge, which called for entries through park brochures and the National Park’s Web site.
The winning photo, which will show visitors connecting with their park, will earn a trip for four to a National Park.
The winner will also receive Kodak equipment and the honor of having their photo emblazoned on next year’s pass.
Ford will air television spots, via Ogilvy & Mather, Detroit, touting the park pass and hailing the automaker’s role in developing alternative fuel vehicles for the parks and a transportation system to help alleviate pollution and crowding. Details about the Ford innovations will be announced this spring.
Discovery, which produced last summer’s documentary about the Washington Monument renovation, will update park movies at visitor centers and create feature films to air on the Discovery, Travel and Animal Planet channels.
The content will dwell on what it takes to take care of the parks from the first-person perspectives of preservationists, historians and employees and strive to show the diversity of the National Park holdings.
Time, a unit of AOL Time Warner, will run three advertorials this year with the first section set to run during May.
Time will also publish a special issue about the National Parks. Park pass purchases will be coupled with a special subscription offer.
COPYRIGHT 2001 BPI Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group