STATE COLLEGE — On Monday, Sept. 30, the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau announced the start of a digital billboard campaign incorporating student-athletes into its destination marketing mix.
The campaign is another step in the HVAB campaign to bring more tourism to Happy Valley using name, image and likeness.
The billboards will feature Penn State football players in Erie, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Washington, D.C. metro, New York/New Jersey metro, Delaware and northeastern Pennsylvania.
The billboards will be located near the player’s hometown and key visitation markets for Centre County. They will read, “We want you to visit Happy Valley, PA!”
“The billboard campaign is an extension of current efforts to foster visitation to Happy Valley, creatively utilizing other voices to share that message,” HVAB President and CEO Fritz Smith said. “We carefully selected recognizable players from locations in which we currently invest marketing dollars for an even greater impact.”
HVAB will also begin using Penn State football players to promote agritourism in Happy Valley. Three players will be featured in a video to promote HVAB’s Fresh from the Field Trail.
“It is encouraging to see student-athletes who are genuinely excited about being brand ambassadors for Happy Valley,” Smith said. “There is a lot of potential to successfully incorporate NIL strategy into the marketing mix.”
These campaigns are the second and third from the HVAB to use Penn State athletes. The first came earlier this month when HVAB announced its partnership with Penn State wrestler, Carter Starocci.
