NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Alabama teen Natalee Halloway’s fate remains a mystery since her 2005 disappearance from the island of Aruba. But with public outrage and bad press largely behind, the Dutch territory has rolled out a new ad campaign to continue to target its core group of travelers from the U.S.
The Aruba Tourism Authority recently launched a $4.3 million campaign that consists of 30-second television spots, magazine, newspaper and Internet advertising created handled by the destination’s advertising firm, Fitzgerald+CO in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Aruba is a unique place and we wanted to showcase its beauty and what sets our island apart from other Caribbean destinations,” said Minister of Tourism and Transportation Edison Briesen. “We are confident that our new advertising campaign is our most dynamic yet and that it truly reflects the many unforgettable experiences Aruba offers its guests.”
Talk of boycotting the island has slowly died and now Aruba, looking to cover ground lost to negative publicity, is hoping the diverse topography and beauty of Aruba featured in the ads as well as “Rumba Aruba,” an original up-tempo song written by local Aruban musician and three-time Grammy Award nominee, Hildward Croes for the television spot, catches the eyes and heart of Americans again.
Each ad carries a unique headline and signs off with copy that reads “This is Aruba. This is our home. And we want to share it with you.”
According to Myrna Jansen, Managing Director for the Aruba Tourism Authority, “The energy of the music coupled with the images of the television ad and the bright, vibrant color of the print, you can’t help but stop what you’re doing and ask, ‘where is that’ and that is exactly what we wanted this campaign to do.”
The campaign is concentrated in areas with high numbers of past travelers. This includes Aruba’s first-ever national television presence with a cable buy that spans a wide variety of popular American networks, including HGTV, Food Network, Travel Network, Bravo, Discovery, The History Channel, National Geographic and TLC. Travel and epicurean magazine presence continues to be an important piece of Aruba’s media plan, this time with full page ads being complemented by two-page spreads, another first for the island.
And on travel-oriented websites including Expedia, Travelocity, Yahoo, Travel, Weather, Concierge, Fodors and Sidestep.