Those watching the West Virginia Mountaineers take on the Kentucky Wildcats may have caught a glimpse of Almost Heaven during commercial breaks.
The state Division of Tourism debuted a new ad during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament game, taking advantage of the Mountaineer’s primetime Sweet 16 game to showcase the Mountain State.
“This ad was originally supposed to be launched in April, but we took this incredible opportunity to put it into the Sweet 16, Mountaineers against Kentucky,” said Tourism Commissioner Amy Goodwin. “A lot of folks are going to be watching across the nation, particularly in our market, which includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, the D.C. area and Maryland. It made good sense for us to showcase our new commercial in our market.”
The ad will air on CBS affiliates across West Virginia and in cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Richmond, Charlotte, Greensboro, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Goodwin said the ad is part of a larger spring advertising campaign designed to entice spring break and summer travelers to travel West Virginia.
“We’re excited about it,” Goodwin said. “It’s shot in West Virginia with real West Virginians doing real things. The message of the commercial is there are a lot of things to do in West Virginia and your children will love it, your family will love it. The message is West Virginia has a lot to offer for families. We’re really close. We’re really close to you and there are lots of things you can do.”
Ratings for this year’s men’s basketball tournament have increased over last year’s. According to CBS Sports, third-round coverage registered the highest-ever overnight ratings, up 14 percent over last year. Broadcastingcable.com shows a steady increase in the number of viewers the popular tournament attracts. If the trend continues, more than 10 million people could watch the Mountaineers play Kentucky for a spot in the Elite Eight.
“Obviously with the amount of people watching not only West Virginia but also Kentucky, this is a great opportunity to hit those folks in our key markets and our key demographics,” Goodwin said.
Contact writer Whitney Burdette at 304-348-7939 or whitney.burdette@dailymailwv.com. Follow her at www.Twitter.com/wburdette_DM.
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