September 13, 2017
Visit Philadelphia/YouTube
A still from Visit Philadelphia's new documentary-style marketing campaign, starring The Roots' Black Thought.
The Roots’ Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter, the group’s lead MC, is the star of Visit Philadelphia’s brand-new marketing campaign aiming to attract more African-American visitors to the city.
Visit Philly unveiled the campaign Tuesday night at restaurant and jazz bar SOUTH, screening the campaign’s documentary-style travel series, “We Got You,” which follows Black Thought and his collection of famous friends as they weave in and out of Philadelphia’s parks, restaurants and landmarks.
Each of the five videos focuses on a different area of visiting the city: culture, food, history, shopping and the outdoors.
Across the series, you’ll see Black Thought ordering cheesesteaks from Max’s Steaks alongside Dustin Ross, playing Skee-Ball at Spruce Street Harbor with Vanessa Simmons, wandering through Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, and generally living his best Instagram-worthy life.
“We’re tapping into the energy of the black travel movement in our newest campaign inviting African-American travelers to visit,” Jenea Robinson, senior media relations manager of Visit Philadelphia, said in a statement.
“The videos have an insider feel that will resonate with this audience and spark word-of-mouth and social sharing from residents, visitors, media, and influencers. As far as we know, no other destination marketing organization is speaking to African-American travelers in this way.”
Visit Philly partnered with two area marketing agencies, including Skai Blue Media and the Palette Group, to create the series. The videos were produced by New York-based production company Fictionless.
Take a look at the full series here.
