WASHINGTON (Map, News) - D.C.’s on a power trip. Or at least, it would like its visitors to be on one.

The city unleashed its latest marketing campaign Wednesday, a $2 million branding effort with the theme, “Create Your Own Power Trip.”

“The competition for tourism dollars is just relentless right now,” said Dan Mesches, chairman of Destination DC, formerly the D.C. Convention & Tourism Corporation. D.C. has been outspent by major cities such as New York and Orlando, Fla., in tourism dollars, particularly in anticipation of a slowing economy, Mesches said at a media event at the Shakespeare Theater Wednesday.

The new campaign is the result of more than a year’s worth of research that showed people most associated D.C. with the word “power.” They also thought of it as inspiring, beautiful, a place for learning, and a place to make and experience history.

The campaign will include print, online and television media spots with slogans such as “Power Play” and “Flower Power,” referencing popular draws such as a Capitals game or the Cherry Blossom Festival. Mayor Adrian Fenty is featured in one ad running in Rock Creek Park.

Tourism is a $5.24 billion industry for D.C.

At the media event, Fenty said the city hopes to capture not just family visitors, but other groups such as urban explorers on

weekend getaways.

The newly designed Washington.org also has a spot where locals can share insider tips on where to go in the city.

For a city-marketing campaign to be successful, it should be evocative of a place’s distinguishing characteristic and not try to erase the past, said Mickey Rowley, Pennsylvania’s deputy secretary for tourism. A city also shouldn’t rebrand itself too frequently. Pennsylvania actually at one point tried to pass a law that state slogans not change with each political administration, he said.

It also helps when a slogan is flexible and can be adapted to many types of interests, according to Peggy Bendel, senior vice president of Development Counsellors International, who helped develop the “I Love New York” campaign. Bendel said that approach has served neighboring Virginia well, as its “Virginia Is For Lovers” slogan can be appropriated to mean lovers of everything from the history to the outdoors.

melissa.frederick@dcexaminer.com

Comments from Examiner Readers

4:19 PM MST on Wed., May. 2, 2007 re: "State scoring big dollars on tourism"

INdia DEntist said:
Introducing dental tourism in India! Dental tourism is a new phenomenon where patients, mainly from Europe, North America and Australia, travel abroad for dental treatment. This trend has started as a response to the increasingly high costs of healthcare and long waiting lists facing patients in many Western countries. We are leaders in dental tourism in India situated in city of Chandigarh, Punjab, India only 40 minutes by air from India's capital, New Delhi and strive to provide quality dental care to our international patients. With cost savings of around 50-70% compared to prices in the US and the UK, the trip to India will enable you to enjoy recuperation on an amazing beach or a short holiday in addition to your surgery and you will still return home with a significant cost saving We offer trained dental experts, world class facilities, latest dental technology, and help with special travel packages for our international patients. We offer the world class dental impl

142 agree | 166 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

10:05 AM MST on Thu., Apr. 19, 2007 re: "Study: City needs more tourist attractions"

mike johnson said:
As a native born Baltimorean, I have always had an inferiority complex next to Philly and Washington DC. There have been places that are must-sees for people coming into town, like the architecture around Mount Vernon, the restaurants of Little Italy and Inner Harbor East, the wineries in Carroll and Harford County (in season), and the world class gems of the Walters and BMA. Historically, Philadelphia shined in the colonial period and has been lovingly restored. Washington is the home of a thousand federally funded tourist attractions. Baltimore became a major city in that period of time after the powdered wig era and before Washington became capital of the world. Americans have lost track of how much of the US of today would not exist without the sailing ships, steam locomotives, warehouseman and factory workers that met here. Show me the last time one of the conventioneers was murdered in Baltimore. Baltimore is a city, not Disneyland, but I like it.

139 agree | 144 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree

Report as inappropriate