by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
The City and the Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention & Visitor’s Bureau are producing complementary advertising campaigns to promote Jacksonville’s parks.
Mayor John Peyton and CVB President and CEO John Reyes announced the joint projects at a Monday press conference. The City’s “Life is Better in the Parks” and the CVB’s “Jacksonville Theme Parks” campaigns will try to encourage residents and tourists to use about 370 local parks.
“We have the largest (urban) park system in the nation,” said Peyton. He estimated 130 of the 840 square miles in Duval County are owned by the city, state or federal government.
Peyton said the park promotions will hopefully increase tourism, creating local economic benefits without permanent infrastructure costs.
“There’s something very nice about having visitors come here, spend their money and leave,” he said. “We think the best advertising and spokespersons are the people that live here.”
In April, local residents auditioned to be featured in the “Life is Better in the Parks” television spots, billboards and bus advertisements that will debut Sept. 25. The “Jacksonville Theme Parks” campaign has already begun. It combines the www.jaxparks.com Web site with several billboards.
The Web site provides information on local parks, events and programs. Reyes said the billboards aim to catch the attention of the people driving through Jacksonville on their way to other destinations.
“One of our chief challenges is branding,” he said. “When you say Jacksonville, what comes into the minds of the people who think of it? What are our greatest assets? What can we promote?”
The City has spent $40,000 on the parks promotions so far, and more money will be needed to pay for ad placements in coming weeks, according to parks spokeswoman Pam Wilson.
Peyton said the City’s promotions are a continuing effort that began with the launch of the “Where Florida Begins” campaign before Super Bowl XXXIX. Before those pregame efforts, Peyton said a Google search of “Jacksonville” turned up information on the city in North Carolina first.
Now, an identical Google search has largely local results: The City, CVB and Jaguars Web sites are in the top five.