INVC NEWS
NYC & Company, the City’s official destination marketing organization, is joining with Nickelodeon—the number one entertainment brand for kids—to announce an expanded New York City family travel partnership that will include three Official NYC Family Ambassadors: SpongeBob SquarePants, PAW Patrol, and the return of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for a third year. This will be the fourth family partnership opportunity between NYC & Company and Nickelodeon, as Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer, Dora and Friends and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have served as NYC Family Ambassadors in the past. With a multiplatform advertising campaign and refreshed age-specific content on NYCgo.com/family debuting today, the beloved Nickelodeon characters will encourage families of all ages to travel to New York City—just in time for kids’ summer vacations.
“After more than a decade promoting New York City as a family-friendly destination, we are pleased to expand our partnership with Nickelodeon to advance our family travel platform utilizing new family brand properties SpongeBob SquarePants and PAW Patrol, in addition to building on the appeal of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” said NYC & Company president and CEO Fred Dixon. “By lending us three of their influential and diverse brands simultaneously, we have a unique opportunity to target three individual micro-audiences within the family segment, showcasing how all ages can enjoy New York City.”
The new Nickelodeon brands inspiring family travel to New York City from now through early 2019 include: SpongeBob SquarePants, a fan-favorite series for nearly two decades, now also appearing on Broadway in a Tony-nominated musical; PAW Patrol (produced by Spin Master Entertainment), the number one ranked preschool series on all TV; and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the newest reimagining of the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise, set to debut on Nickelodeon this fall. Characters in the TMNT franchise previously served as NYC family ambassadors for the past two years beginning in 2016.
“We are thrilled to continue working with NYC & Company for a third consecutive year by adding SpongeBob SquarePants and PAW Patrol, along with our newly reimagined Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as the faces of New York City family travel,” said Pam Kaufman, President, Viacom/Nickelodeon Global Consumer Products. “From the continued success of PAW Patrol with our preschool audience, to SpongeBob’s critically acclaimed debut on Broadway and the vibrant new look of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, these beloved characters truly embody the endless fun and exciting experiences found throughout New York City for kids and families of all ages.”
Beginning today, a national outdoor media campaign will debut in Boston, Chicago, in 22 national shopping malls and across New York City. Three creative concepts are among the displayed advertisements (one for each family travel partner brand), with unique taglines in the voices of the Nickelodeon characters. To inspire families to plan their New York City adventure, a targeted digital and social campaign will run throughout the summer and drive to a newly imagined family section at NYCgo.com/family with comprehensive guides, itineraries and curated experiences, all designed to help families make the most of their NYC experience. Once on the family page, families can discover more “Things to Do” in New York City than ever before with online content tailored and themed by three specific age groups, corresponding to the Nickelodeon properties: teens (featuring SpongeBob SquarePants), tweens (featuring Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and young children (featuring PAW Patrol).
