Philadelphia was out and proud in New York City this year during World Pride.
With a commitment of “around $500,000” for June, Visit Philadelphia, the city’s official tourism marketing agency, showed support for the LGBTQ community during this iconic month that celebrated the anniversary of the Stonewall riots.
A stunning show of support came at Penn Station, where Visit Philadelphia participated in its ninth Station Domination, which included 275 advertising units and a full-motion video projection featuring LGBTQ and Stonewall graphics, two men holding hands at the Liberty Bell, two women of color in front of Independence Hall and an “out and proud” drag performer, among others. Posters with these images also covered the walls.
The station stairs received a refresh, displaying the colors of Philadelphia’s inclusive Pride flag. The floor displayed Philadelphia’s LGBTQ flag and the hashtag #IAmStonewall.
President and CEO of VIsit Philadelphia, Jeff Guaracino, said, “We felt [the stairs] offered an educational opportunity for people who are coming through Penn Station and therefore through World Pride to let people know that we’re there celebrating the victories of the milestones already achieved in the LGBT civil rights movement but also talking about our own role in the civil rights movement and our history here.”
Guaracino said the takeover was a way to “share the celebration and be a part of it with everyone who is celebrating in New York.”
But, “Frankly Penn Station was a big decision for us,” said Guaracino, noting that conventional marketing would mean buying in ads in gay-targeted publications or having a float in the gay Pride parade. While Visit Philly did both, he said, “We know you certainly don’t reach all LGBTQ people or their allies through those vehicles, so that’s why we decided to use this big mass medium in New York.”
This year’s LGBTQ advertising falls under Visit Philadelphia’s three-year diversity campaign titled, “Filadelfia — You Gotta Feel It” which also includes ads representing and targeting the Latinx and the African-American communities. The budget that centers these communities was increased to $1.25 million this year, a large percentage of Visit Philadelphia’s total budget of $16 million. The tourism agency also created a new position, naming Rachel Ferguson as chief innovation and global diversity officer, Guaracino said.
This investment made Philadelphia’s LGBTQ-marketing presence larger than any other city this year, aside from NYC, the host city, and it wasn’t only Penn Station that held Philly’s place during World Pride. The “Pioneers on the Road to Stonewall” float that many Philly locals saw June 9 traveled to New York for the big day.
The hand-painted, 34-foot float featured a replica of the Stonewall Inn, golden “eyelashes,” and 1,700 feet of rainbow ribbon along with 42,000 square inches of Styrofoam.
The campaign is not designed to sell, but to join the global community of LGBTQ folks and instill pride in Philadelphia, Guaracino said.
“We’re seeing great momentum here and it will make people feel proud of where they live. I certainly know people were proud to see Philadelphia so big in New York.” n