Atlanta CVB Launches Celebrity Video Generating Super Bowl Buzz
January 28, 2019
NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Jared Goff will go head to head at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this Sunday, Feb. 3, for Super Bowl LII. Yet the Atlanta CVB is drawing on more stars to help promote the big game, launching a celebrity-packed video welcoming visitors to the city to mark the first the first time it’s hosted the Super Bowl since 2000.
“Atlanta is a city that celebrates diversity, and we’re thrilled to work with many of the people who make this city special as we welcome visitors for this landmark event,” said William Pate, president and CEO, Atlanta CVB. “We are excited to show every guest who visits for Super Bowl LIII the passion, pride and love we have for Atlanta.”
The upbeat, one-minute reel features 19 famous Atlantans, including OutKast rapper Big Boi; Spanx founder and CEO Sara Blakely; Chick-fil-A CEO Dan T. Cathy; ESPN sports analyst Maria Taylor, and even the Coca-Cola polar bear. Watch the video here.
Capturing Atlanta’s rich diversity, culture and spirit, the video represents why each individual calls Atlanta home, and aims to inspire guests to get out and explore the city while they’re in town for the game.
"I continue to call Atlanta home because there's no place like it on earth to me,” said Big Boi. “I've been all around the world, and to be in a city where you have trees and people speak to you when you walk down the street … that’s Southern hospitality you don't get everywhere.”
This isn’t the first time a tourism board has used celebrities in marketing.
Five years ago, NYC & Company instituted singer Taylor Swift as tourism ambassador, kicking off a nationwide trend. The Tennessee Department of Tourism Development has run various celebrity spots over the last decade, including some with Dolly Parton, Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts. Visit California put together a collection of videos featuring famous Californians that ran in national TV spots. Even North Dakota has capitalized on a homegrown celebrity, Josh Duhamel, with a series of content and videos highlighting reasons why the actor loves the state.
All of these campaigns have seen varying degrees of success, especially when the celebrities help promote them through their own Instagram accounts—one of the most powerful tools in marketing right now.
The Atlanta CVB is banking on this video generating buzz for the city leading up to the big game, sharing it across its social media platforms and also broadcasting the video in hotel rooms across the city on the Atlanta Channel. More than 20,000 hotel rooms were contracted by the NFL for Super Bowl week, according to CVB officials. Check out a full guide to all Super Bowl LII events, concerts and parties here.
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Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.
Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is on track to spend at least 15% of its biddable procurement with diverse-owned businesses by 2025, demonstrating that supplier diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic business imperative.
Supplier diversity isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for business. A diverse supply chain allows access to a broader range of perspectives and experience, helping to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, while strengthening communities. At MGM Resorts, engaging diverse suppliers ensures best-in-class experiences for guests and clients. Supplier diversity ensures a more resilient supply chain while supporting economic development in the communities in which it operates.
The impact of MGM Resorts' supplier diversity initiatives is significant. In 2023, these efforts supported over 3,500 jobs across more than 30 states, contributed over $214 million in income for diverse-owned businesses and generated more than $62 million in tax revenue. The story extends beyond the numbers – it reflects the tangible benefits brought to small and diverse-owned businesses, fostering economic empowerment in their communities.
MGM Resorts also supports the development and business skills of diverse-owned businesses through investment, mentorship and education. Through the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, the company identifies, mentors and develops diverse-owned businesses to fill its future pipeline, while providing businesses with tools and resources to empower and uplift. Since 2017, the program has successfully graduated 105 diverse-owned businesses and is on track to achieve its goal of 150 graduates by 2025.
MGM Resorts’ commitment to supplier diversity not only enhances its business operations but also plays a crucial role in uplifting communities and fostering economic development. This approach reinforces the idea that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation and resilience, benefiting both the company and the wider community.
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