Let Me Show You the Hamilton I Love

INTRO & PURPOSE

Tourism Hamilton, part of the City of Hamilton’s Tourism and Culture Division, Planning and Economic Department, launched a new promotional video series in 2024 called Let Me Show You. The campaign includes:

A cinematic Tourism Lure Video produced by local creatives (videography, soundtrack, dance and spoken word)
A Docu-Interview Style Series, featuring local creators and tourism business operators, sharing their personal takes on what makes Hamilton, Hamilton – and a place worth investing in and exploring

The series leverages local ambassadors and insider perspectives to show would-be travelers the authentic Hamilton that residents love – from lure-level attractions like the city’s famous waterfalls and cultural festivals to its lesser known hidden gems.

The series aims to inspire a strong emotional response with authentic storytelling from real Hamiltonians, and help overcome lingering negative perceptions while celebrating the city’s ongoing revival and creativity – among both locals (creating stronger local ambassadors) and would-be visitors (future tourists).

EFFECTIVENESS MEETING OBJECTIVES

Views, reach, engagement and response to the Let Me Show You series have been very strong since launching this summer – both with locals and targeted out of town audiences. Some early results include: 61,790 plays on Instagram and Facebook and 39,350 plays on Youtube for a total of 101,140 views and counting, as well as 1,587 engagements.

The video is featured prominently on Tourism Hamilton’s website, shared broadly via full length and shorter cutdowns on our social media channels, and distributed to colleagues and partners for public presentations, bids and Hamilton promotions.

Early feedback from both viewers and industry stakeholders has been extremely positive via in- person and digital feedback, largely focused on the strong cinematic quality and authenticity of the videos.

CHALLENGES & CHANGES MADE

Early in the process, Tourism Hamilton committed to using local Hamilton talent for the entire production to support the wider Planning & Economic Development Department’s mandate to support Hamilton’s creative industries.

While the creative talent in Hamilton is very strong, the smaller pool of creative professionals required staff to focus on selecting the right professionals to partner with including videographers, editors, performers, and sound designers.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Let Me Show You targets external leisure markets (40 kms or more), mostly drive-in as well as business and event visitors. However it also aims to inspire locals and generate civic pride to help support Hamilton’s essential VFR (Visiting Friends and Family) market and help foster pride in place and local ambassadorship.

COMMUNITY MESSAGE – BY LOCALS, FOR LOCALS

Let Me Show You features locals pulling back the curtain on their favourite qualities of Hamilton and showing visitors where to look. But it’s also a love letter and rallying cry for locals. While Hamilton’s revival continues to evolve, the post-pandemic challenges affecting many cities, has left room for a reignition of local love for the city – something that Let Me Show You aims to help foster.

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