Nebraska's pitch to tourists: 'Honestly, it's not for everyone'
Nebraska is trying to ramp up tourism with a self-deprecating ad campaign.
Nebraska knows the state is "not for everyone" and it's proud of that in a new ad campaign.
"We're just simply not on people's shopping list for a vacation," said John Ricks, executive director of the Nebraska Tourism Commission, on ABC News' "Start Here" podcast.
New Nebraska Tourism advertisements boast of the state's "flat, boring landscape" and "dusty" Great Plains as part of a self-deprecating marketing campaign to tackle its "brand apathy" problem.
"You can't change perceptions just by providing information, so we had to be disruptive in some way," Ricks said of the sarcastic ads.
One print ad points out "there's nothing to do here" as a group floats down a river in a livestock tank, or what Nebraskans refer to as "tanking."
Nebraska is trying to lure tourists who are interested in an "unpretentious and uncomplicated" vacation, and as the campaign's tagline notes: "Honestly, it's not for everyone."
"We're not looking for everybody," Ricks said on "Start Here." "This place isn't for everybody, as any state isn't for anybody."
The #HonestlyNE campaign will launch in out-of-state markets beginning in spring 2019.
This story is featured on Friday's edition of ABC News' "Start Here" podcast.
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