Fleishman-Hillard has been appointed on fees of over pounds 400,000
to promote Rome as a tourist destination in 2001 across 30
countries.
Seven agencies pitched for the account, tendered by the Rome Tourist
Department, including Shandwick, MS&L and Italian agency Egg.
F-H Italy managing director Patrizia Antonicelli will lead the Rome 2001
account, informing F-H’s agencies and affiliates worldwide of the
programme.
Key markets will be the UK, France, Germany, Spain, the US and
Japan.
The push begins on 5 November and will run for 16 months. The mayor of
Rome is expected to visit London next month as part of the effort.
Antonicelli highlighted one of the challenges of the campaign as working
with the city administrators. ’It means we have to be totally flexible
all of the time,’ she said.
The aim is to reposition Rome as a destination for repeat visits by
letting tourists know that there is more to the city than the Coliseum.
Lesser-known features, such as shopping, parks, conference and sporting
facilities and excellent food, will be highlighted.
They believe that tourists see it as a destination to visit once in a
lifetime for its historic monuments and museums.
The hospitality industry in Rome is growing at a rapid rate, with the
number of new hotels and bed and breakfasts increasing dramatically.
Matt Fearnley, director of F-H UK will be leading the account here. He
said: ’Rome is being forward-thinking in developing a strategic city
marketing campaign of this kind. For us, it’s a great example of a
network pulling together a thoughtful and locally sensitive global
campaign.’
Rome anticipates some 30 million visitors next year, as part of Italy’s
centennial jubilee religious celebrations. The Vatican City will be the
focus of the festival.
