NYC & Company Launches New “Fantastic Beasts”-Inspired Campaign!
NYC & Company, New York City’s official destination marketing organization, has collaborated with Warner Bros. to create Fantastic NYC, a campaign inspired by the hotly anticipated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!
This new marketing and communications initiative will spotlight 1920s New York City, which plays a starring role in the upcoming movie.
Fred Dixon, CEO and president of NYC & Company, says
There is a powerful link between film and tourism, and the launch of Fantastic NYC is a wonderful opportunity to promote the modern-day magic of New York City to a global audience.
By inspiring visitors to come and experience the enchanting locations seen on screen, we can drive growth from tourism and its economic benefits across the City’s five boroughs.
Fantastic NYC will inspire visitors to explore the city through curated editorial content, social media using #FantasticNYC, and more. Now available on NYCGo.com/FantasticNYC, the campaign features tips designed to help visitors create their very own magical NYC moments! Tips from NYCGo will include experiences from the following categories: Magic NYC, Hidden NYC, and Beastly NYC.
The promotion also has a strong London presence, including 26 examples of out-of-home media in the shape of outdoor billboards and digital screens. The creative has been produced in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures and features a Fantastic NYC package from Virgin Holidays. The package offers New York vacations from £475 per person for travel in January 2017, flying Virgin Atlantic with a three-night stay at the Row NYC. For more information and to view the full terms and conditions, visit VirginHolidays.com/FantasticNYC.
As we previously reported, fans can also now explore the world of Fantastic Beasts with Google Street View, visiting 1926 New York as brought to life in the film, as well as the real locations today. Sites include MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA); Steen National Bank, where Newt first meets Jacob Kowalski; the underground speakeasy the Blind Pig; and the magical apartment of Tina and Queenie Goldstein, who complete the film’s quartet of unlikely heroes. For more information, visit g.co/FantasticBeasts.
The adventures in the movie are set in 1920s New York, and many landmarks of the era still stand today, enabling us to see the City through the film’s fantastical lens. Some highlights of Fantastic NYC include:
- Bergdorf Goodman: The 1928 Bergdorf still stands and now features eight floors of women’s clothes and an on-site restaurant. There’s also a men’s store across the street.
- Central Park Zoo: After extensive renovations, the zoo is very different from its 1920s incarnation, but the sea lion pool remains a focal point. Today, Central Park Zoo is a pioneer in re-creating natural habitats in urban environments.
- Lower East Side: While new buildings and chic nightlife have moved in, you can still recognize some of the architecture and visit surviving businesses from the 1920s, like Russ & Daughters (an appetizing store) and Yonah Schimmel (which serves knishes). The Tenement Museum, a National Historic Site, offers tenement and neighborhood walking tours along with other educational programming.
- Statue of Liberty: Ellis Island has long since transitioned into a second life as a museum, but the island and the Statue of Liberty remain powerful symbols of America’s history as a nation of immigrants who came to these shores looking for a better life.
- Times Square: Still the site of the New Year’s Eve ball drop, the iconic square features adjoining buildings that are adorned with video billboards and even brighter lights.
Beginning this Thursday, November 17, fans can join a new Fantastic NYC Tour to visit landmark locations across the City that inspired the magnificent 1920s New York as seen in Fantastic Beasts. For more info about On Location Tours, visit onlocationtours.com.
Are you planning a trip to NYC in the near future to check out some of the locations from Fantastic Beasts? Let us know your thoughts!
