CINCINNATI — In an effort to capture the excitement and momentum of the Cincinnati Bengals’ Super Bowl run, city leaders are trying to convince fans who can’t make the trip to California to instead book travel plans to the Queen City.
A targeted digital advertising campaign is zeroing in on Bengals fans who live within 200 miles of Cincinnati. The Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau and meetNKY are collaborating on the effort with a nod to a familiar phrase for Bengals fans this postseason: “It Is Us! Be With Us!”
“This focus on the celebration of Bengals fans and being around a winning team and a really exciting city is just a new opportunity and we’re getting a lot of attention,” said Randie Adam, the vice president of marketing and visitor experience with Cincinnati USA CVB.
Some hotel managers are already seeing an impact from that targeted ad campaign, which kicked off only a few days ago on Feb. 4.
“We really think that fueled a lot of the stuff that came through this week,” said Hyatt Regency Cincinnati’s general manager Joe Pinto. “Yesterday and today, I was talking to all the properties in the downtown core and everybody is seeing the same kind of short-term demand this past week like we’ve seen.”
Besides a huge influx of reservations being made since the AFC Championship, another reason Pinto knows this is all about Bengals fever is the unusual amount of reservations for just Sunday night.
“Obviously the Super Bowl is pretty special, right? So I definitely think that all of the local businesses are going to benefit,” Pinto said.
VisitCincy.com is outfitted with a tool to help people book hotel rooms and get tickets to popular spots like the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. It also has a handy list with plenty of activities happening throughout the weekend, including a list of restaurants accepting reservations for people hoping to guarantee themselves a seat for the game.
“The Bengals fans want to be in Cincinnati with their fellow Bengals fans,” Adam said. “We’re all looking for community during this time.”
While the game will be thousands of miles away, several Super Bowl events are scheduled for Hamilton County this weekend. To check those out, click here.
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