KING OF PRUSSIA, PA – On the eve of the Ivy League Men’s and Women’s basketball tournament taking place at the historic Palestra in Philadelphia this weekend, the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board released a new video for social media featuring their mascot, “Monty The Fox,” and the Quaker mascot from the University of Pennsylvania.
The video highlights a series of impressive shots and a game of one-on-one basketball between the mascots to get ready for March Madness.
The VFTCB’s partnership with UPENN athletics and other regional university athletic programs helps build awareness for the Valley Forge Sports division. Youth sports is big business in Montgomery County and large-scale tournaments help fill Montco’s hotels, restaurants, and attractions. In fact, in 2017 almost half of the more than 100,000 total hotel room nights booked with the help of the Tourism Board were attributed to weekend sports tournaments.
“We are thrilled with our relationship with Valley Forge Sports and this video is a great example of how we work together with our corporate partners to increase and enhance their brand exposure through innovative collaboration in the marketplace,” said George Perry, Chief Revenue Officer for Penn Sports Properties. “We look forward to working with Valley Forge on creating many new concepts as the partnership evolves.”
The new video, featuring Monty wearing a Valley Forge Sports jersey, is the first in a series of social media videos that will highlight events and things to do in the area, including a follow up mascot video that will promote the upcoming Penn relays.
When developing the basketball video concept, VFTCB’s Creative Director, Joe Tacynec, and Marketing Director, Zach Brown, found inspiration from the memorable 1993 McDonald’s commercial, “The Showdown,” featuring Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.
“Filming at the historic Palestra, an icon in college basketball, was a great experience and the Penn staff members were a lot of fun to work with. And, of course, Monty and the Quaker gave it their all hustling, shooting baskets, and dunking. Although we used some movie magic in post-production, I will say that quite a few of those shots were real,” said Tacynec.
Last May, the VFTCB introduced Montgomery “Monty” the Fox to bring an added dimension to the brand. In the past year, he has made several appearances at sporting events, ribbon-cutting ceremonies, trade shows, press events, bridal shows, Montgomery County Commissioners meetings, festivals throughout Montgomery County, and the Philadelphia Flower Show this past weekend, to name a few.
Edward Harris, the VFTCB’s CMO, said mascots are a strategic marketing advantage.
“Having a fun mascot like Monty to represent Montgomery County, PA as a tourism destination enables our organization to connect with potential new visitors in a positive way,” Harris said. “When he shows up at an event, people smile and want to get their picture taken with him. Those photos often end up on social media, which only helps extend our reach to new visitors who could impact our tourism economy in a positive way.”
Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-svRKA8ZH0&feature=youtu.be
Download it here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xcukhzq4h3q5omo/PennMonty-Final2.mp4?dl=0
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The Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board (VFTCB) is a nonprofit, membership-based sales and marketing organization that actively promotes Valley Forge and Montgomery County, PA as a convention site and leisure visitor destination by encouraging patronage of its 500+ member hotels, restaurants, attractions, and services. The award-winning website links visitors, meeting planners, tour operators, and residents to a diverse portfolio of brands focused on reasons to visit the region.