Celebrities Join Campaign to Unleash Pride in St. Louis Region

For Immediate Release

For more information:
Anthony Paraino
St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission
314-992-0654

CELEBRITIES JOIN CAMPAIGN TO UNLEASH PRIDE IN ST. LOUIS REGION
Campaign to Debut TV, Print and Radio Ads this Week

ST. LOUIS (June 18, 2015) – There’s so much more to brag about in St. Louis, than where you went to high school. With vibrant neighborhoods, a revitalized urban core, thriving industries of higher learning and scientific discovery, scores of cultural and entertainment attractions, St. Louis is looking good, and regional leaders want to help spread the word. Today, the St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation is introducing the “Take Pride in St. Louis” campaign, which is designed to promote civic pride in residents across the St. Louis region.  The program features TV, print and radio ads featuring several nationally prominent St. Louis celebrities, including: Bob Costas, Joe Buck, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Miss Robbie, Ozzie Smith, Isaac Bruce and Phyllis Smith.  The effort has been funded by the Regional Marketing Collaborative, with additional support from Ameren Missouri, Emerson, Scottrade and Edward Jones.

The campaign is aimed at encouraging area residents to communicate their authentic and positive St. Louis experiences in their own social networks, drawing content from stlouiscivicpride.org, where they can find inspiring information about St. Louis, and sign up to be an ambassador to advocate for the virtues of our region.

“Who else is better suited to share the great word about our community than the residents who live here,” said Kim Tucci, chairman of the St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation.  “Our goal is to turn our residents into St. Louis ambassadors and these ads are a great way to help communicate and encourage people to participate.”

The Regional Marketing Collaborative, co-founded by St. Louis Regional Chamber, St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation, St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission and St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, includes local chambers of commerce, convention and visitor bureaus, economic development organizations, colleges and universities.  The group works to establish and communicate a unified marketing strategy for the St. Louis region.

“The organizations comprising the Community Marketing Collaborative have been working jointly on this project to help share and encourage the spreading of positive messages about our region, which is now more critical than ever,” said Joe Reagan, president & CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chamber.  “Additionally, we want to thank our partners in the St. Louis media for their generosity and help in bringing these important messages to their listeners, viewers and readers.”

The commercial campaign will run for several weeks each year in the St. Louis regional market as part of a partnership with area media outlets including TV, radio, print, outdoor displays and digital providers.

“Broadcasters in St. Louis are gathering together to donate air time to the regional marketing collaborative so we can sustain a campaign that will put the positive back into messaging for the St. Louis region, not only locally but nationally,” said John Beck, senior vice president & general manager of Emmis Communications and board member of the Missouri Broadcasters Association.   “By the time we are done, we will help reach 92 percent of our 2.8 million residents; with the goal of turning them all into ambassadors about what is good about our region.”

“When we first began reaching out to local celebrities to participate in the commercials, we were simply overwhelmed by their willingness to join the effort to assist the Take Pride in St. Louis campaign,” said Kathleen “Kitty” Ratcliffe, president of the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission.  “They were all wonderful to work with and gracious in donating their time to the project that allows us to highlight many of the virtues of the region ranging from Sweetie Pies to Grand Center to the Butterfly House.”

“We want to encourage everyone to visit stlouiscivicpride.org and learn more about all the amazing things happening here in our community and then help share the great word about St. Louis through their personal networks and connections,” said Denny Coleman, CEO of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership.  “In addition to sharing the work, we hope residents will be inspired by helping to support St. Louis businesses, inviting friends to visit the region and doing whatever they can to echo the spirit of our thriving and dynamic region.”

For more information on the Take Pride in St. Louis effort, or to get involved, visit stlouiscivicpride.

About the St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation
The St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation focuses on unleashing St. Louis civic pride to create a culture of confidence among St. Louis area residents. A non-profit organization, the foundation also provides frontline hospitality and service employees with more training and teaching to enable them to become better ambassadors to the St. Louis region.  For more information or to get involved, check out our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter.

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