Online & In Charge2011 brought a new mobile site, 6.5 million web visits, 15 web awardsand a first-of-its-kind partnership with a buzzed-about social media site.We continued <strong>the</strong> momentum in <strong>the</strong> first half of <strong>2012</strong>, running a month-long Facebook contest,launching a 101-day-long video series and hitting 200,000 (and counting) social media fans and followers.visitphilly.com and uwishunu.comThe official visi<strong>to</strong>r site for <strong>Greater</strong> <strong>Philadelphia</strong> and its what’s-happening-now blog are <strong>Philadelphia</strong>’s mostimportant brand and image builders. GPTMC’s partners, including <strong>the</strong> Independence Visi<strong>to</strong>r Center and <strong>the</strong>City of <strong>Philadelphia</strong>, direct people <strong>to</strong> visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com because <strong>the</strong>y represent <strong>the</strong> entireregion through written content, compelling pho<strong>to</strong>s, fun videos, news updates and event-packed calendars.Potential visi<strong>to</strong>rs use <strong>the</strong> websites <strong>to</strong> plan <strong>the</strong>ir trips, while locals use <strong>the</strong>m <strong>to</strong> plan <strong>the</strong>ir weekends. For <strong>the</strong>sereasons, visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com remain GPTMC’s calls <strong>to</strong> action for everything we do.Philly 101: In March <strong>2012</strong>, uwishunu.com launched Philly 101, a dailyvideo series starring 101 residents who shared <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>Philadelphia</strong> tipsand insights (ones that “you wish you knew”) in about 60 seconds.Bill Covaleski, founder and CEO of Vic<strong>to</strong>ry Brewing Company, ravedabout <strong>the</strong> city’s jazz scene; Top Chef winner Kevin Sbraga got revvedup about <strong>the</strong> Simeone Foundation Au<strong>to</strong>motive Museum; and TheRoots’ Black Thought led viewers down South Street. We distributed<strong>the</strong> videos on our own social media sites, and <strong>the</strong> videos’ stars andfeatured picks shared <strong>the</strong>m with <strong>the</strong>ir networks. All of <strong>the</strong> videos areposted on uwishunu.com/philly101.Significant Growth:• In 2011, visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com witnessed a record-breakingyear in web traffic, with 6.5 million visits, up 51% from 2010.• uwishunu.com welcomed a record two million visits—that’s onemillion more visits than in 2010.Annual Visits(in millions)7654321GPTMC Web Traffic, 2007–2011Total visitsuwishunu.comvisitphilly.com3.10 mil380,0002.72 mil3.21 mil+3%400,0002.81 mil4.09 mil+28%670,0003.42 mil4.32 mil+6%1.06 mil3.26 mil6.54 mil+51%2.06 mil4.48 milBig-Name Endorsements: GPTMCpartnered with a couple of web giants <strong>to</strong>expand its online distribution.• In 2011, Google upgraded GPTMC<strong>to</strong> a Pro-level Google AdWordsgrant. The program provides Googlesearch ads at no cost <strong>to</strong> select nonprofits,and it generates around75,000 clicks <strong>to</strong> our web propertieseach month.• Media giant Comcast asked us <strong>to</strong>lend our expert content <strong>to</strong> its Phillyin Focus, <strong>the</strong> local arm of Comcast’sProject Open Voice. The partnershipprovides great programmingfor <strong>the</strong> Philly in Focus website andOn Demand channel, and it helpsGPTMC spread our message andalign ourselves with trusted outlets.Rewarding Work: Last year alsobrought 15 awards for GPTMC’s onlinepowerhouses. visitphilly.com anduwishunu.com received national andinternational honors for website designand marketing, and uwishunu.comenjoyed a local people’s choice nod.Extending <strong>the</strong> online praise,philly360.com <strong>to</strong>ok home a digitalmarketing award.020072008 2009 2010 201112 <strong>Greater</strong> <strong>Philadelphia</strong> <strong>Tourism</strong> <strong>2012</strong>: A <strong>Report</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Region</strong>
Socially InclinedGPTMC recognized <strong>the</strong> value of social media early on: We started with a blog, got social with Twitter andFacebook, checked in<strong>to</strong> Foursquare, ate up Foodspotting and, most recently, embraced Pinterest. Gone are<strong>the</strong> days of needing <strong>to</strong> explain why we invest in <strong>the</strong>se tactics. We’ve proven that our social media strategyturns GPTMC’s more than 200,000 followers and fans in<strong>to</strong> <strong>Philadelphia</strong> ambassadors and <strong>to</strong>urists.A Three-Way Street: GPTMC’s social mediaprogram benefits <strong>Philadelphia</strong>, our partnersand our fans and followers. Through <strong>the</strong>29 Nights of Dates Facebook contest, PictureYourself in <strong>Philadelphia</strong> pho<strong>to</strong>-sharingevents, made-for-social media love letters ando<strong>the</strong>r social media-driven promotions, weengage with our fans, providing <strong>the</strong>m withvalue through a fun activity or entertaininglove letter, while <strong>to</strong>uting <strong>Philadelphia</strong> and itsattractions, restaurants, nightlife, sports andevents. Our fans discover <strong>to</strong>ns of reasons <strong>to</strong>visit, and when <strong>the</strong>y come, <strong>the</strong>y patronizeour partner organizations. Most importantly,<strong>the</strong>y enjoy <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>Philadelphia</strong> experience—and become ambassadors for <strong>the</strong> city.Leading <strong>the</strong> Industry: People have takennotice of GPTMC’s social media expertise.We’ve showcased our work nationally andregionally, presenting at BlogWorld & NewMedia Expo and DMO Mojo. Plus, we sharedour knowledge with our partners whenGPTMC and <strong>the</strong> <strong>Greater</strong> <strong>Philadelphia</strong> HotelAssociation hosted a social media workshopfor <strong>Philadelphia</strong> hotels.A Recipe for Success: Continuing GPTMC’shis<strong>to</strong>ry of staying ahead of <strong>the</strong> social mediacurve, we identified Foodspotting as <strong>the</strong> nextbig social media platform. GPTMC wanted<strong>to</strong> fur<strong>the</strong>r solidify <strong>Philadelphia</strong>’s status as aculinary destination, and <strong>the</strong> relatively youngFoodspotting wanted <strong>to</strong> show its marketingstrength by partnering with a foodie city.It was <strong>the</strong> perfect pairing. By May 2011,<strong>Philadelphia</strong> became <strong>the</strong> first destination <strong>to</strong>launch such a major Foodspotting programwith a branded channel and Foodspotting’sfull marketing support. Foodspotting nowuses <strong>Philadelphia</strong> as a case study, andGPTMC showed its innovation, promotingone of our time-tested assets in a new way.When GPTMC partnered with Foodspotting, <strong>Philadelphia</strong> joined <strong>the</strong> likes of Anthony Bourdain andTravel + Leisure—o<strong>the</strong>r brands that recognized <strong>the</strong> power of <strong>the</strong> social food platform and got in early.The Art of Collaboration13
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