For Immediate Release:
May 5, 2009

DC’S STARRING ROLE IN “NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN” INSPIRES SUMMER TRAVEL PROMOTION

(Washington, DC)… Washington, DC is back on the big screen this summer with the May 22 release of “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” the action-packed follow-up to the 2006 hit starring Ben Stiller. To leverage the city’s starring role in the film, Destination DC is launching a promotion highlighting locations featured in the movie, themed hotel packages and special evening programs to engage one of DC’s key audiences – the family traveler.

“We have an extremely popular young family in the White House with celebrity appeal,” said Victoria Isley, Senior Vice President, Marketing for Destination DC. “Add in the excitement of a major summer movie release and we’ve got a great opportunity to show that DC’s a hip and exciting place to explore with your family.”

In the film, history comes to life as night guard turned inventor Larry (Ben Stiller) teams up with spunky Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) to do battle with evil pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) and his band of historic villains. At stake: an ancient Egyptian tablet that will unlock the Underworld and turn Kahmunrah into an all-powerful ruler. Larry has just one night to save his friends – and the world – in an exciting battle that takes him to some of the DC’s most popular museums, monuments and memorials.

These locations are captured in a custom microsite, Washington.org/night, and in 65,000 print brochures produced in collaboration with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Visitors to the movie-themed site can learn about locations featured in the movie, book hotel packages and find ideas for planning eventful moonlit nights in DC.

While Destination DC’s past movie-themed promotions, linked to National Treasure and its sequel, have captured travelers’ interest and helped to boost attendance at the featured attractions, this summer’s promotion will generate even more movie-focused exposure, thanks to partnerships with major national brands. With the help of members and partners, the tourism organization is coordinating airfare and accommodations for two separate major consumer brand promotions.

“We’ve been successful in the past connecting DC to major motion pictures,” added Isley. “This time, we’re taking our efforts a step further and partnering with national brands familiar to our core audience in order to reach more consumers and to capture their imagination in a different way.”
To capitalize on Post Cereals’ multi-million dollar advertising campaign surrounding the film, Destination DC partnered with United Airlines and the Grand Hyatt Washington to create exclusive travel packages. Post features the DC trip giveaways in 30-second television ads, online at WinASmithsonianSleepover.com and on 17 million cereal boxes. The promotion includes a sweepstakes offering five Grand Prizes of a real-life Sleepover for six people at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. "We partnered with Destination DC to bring the trip to life and to help make DC a ‘great destination,’" reported Post Foods Promotions Director, Kelly Annis.

KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese is offering ten grand prize giveaways that also include a family sleepover at the National Air and Space Museum. JetBlue Airways partnered with Destination DC in its first national consumer promotion with a tourism bureau to provide the airline tickets for prize winners and their families. Winners and their families will stay in rooms provided by Washington Marriott Wardman Park.   "KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese is excited to be working with Destination DC to give ten lucky families a unique overnight adventure at the Smithsonian," said Eileen Sharkey Rosenfeld, Senior Brand Manager, KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese.  "This partnership provides a fun, educational way for families to spend time together -- a goal KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese heartily supports."

In addition to the brochure, website and partnerships with Post and KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese, Destination DC will reach out to movie-going audiences with in-theater advertising. Beginning May 22, when the film opens in theatres, Destination DC’s ads will run for four weeks at theaters in top feeder markets, including New York, Philadelphia, Raleigh and DC’s Maryland and Virginia suburbs. A full-page ad in USA Today (northeast region) ­and search engine marketing and optimization will round out Destination DC’s investment in the promotion. 

For more information, visit Washington.org/night.

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About Destination DC:  Destination DC, the lead destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of more than 1,000 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities. Destinationdc.com.