NYC & Company, New York City’s official marketing and tourism agency, is partnering with DreamWorks Classics to bring Waldo to the five boroughs.
The campaign includes a website where kids can find Waldo hiding at New York attractions, a Waldo-themed attractions discount package offered by Smart Destinations, and Taxi TV and digital ads targeting major cities in the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
For many young Canadians, Waldo brings back nostalgic memories of daycare and dentists’ offices – but he’s also a hit overseas as “Where’s Wally?”, with books published in 38 languages across 30 countries. NYC & Company is hoping to leverage some of that international brand recognition in their campaign.
“Waldo has been traveling and exploring cities across the world for more than 25 years, and we are extremely pleased to have him as our new NYC Family Ambassador,” said George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company, in a press release. “With immeasurable international and domestic recognition, Waldo will enable us to reach and influence people of all ages, encouraging them to bring their families to New York City this year.”
Created by Martin Handford in 1987, Where’s Waldo? is one of the world’s most successful children’s brands, with over 59 million books sold worldwide. Now celebrating his 25th anniversary, Waldo’s made an effective transition into the digital sphere, with 7.3 million mobile apps sold and 5 million Facebook likes. He’s also been the subject of rogue fan events and several world record attempts. MGM is in production on a Where’s Waldo film, slated for 2015.
Waldo is New York’s fifth “Family Ambassador,” an annual marketing campaign that promotes New York as a family-friendly tourist destination. Waldo joins a veritable hall of fame of children’s brands, next to the Muppets (2012), the Smurfs (2011), Dora the Explorer (2010) and Sesame Street (2009). According to NYC & Company, the number of families visiting the city annually has increased by 15% since the program was started in 2009.
