• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, April 23, 2014

Chicago tourism agency Choose Chicago has selected Interpublic Group’s FCB Chicago as its new Creative Agency of Record and the Chicago office of Publicis Groupe’s Starcom USA as the city's Media Planning and Buying AOR after a review. 

According to Choose Chicago’s 2013 Annual Report its regional media expenditures totaled $2.5 million last year. It also markets itself outside the U.S. and spent $500,000 on a UK campaign last year, per the report. The client said that international marketing capabilities are a key component to the city’s tourism growth strategy. 

The agencies will collaborate to build “fully integrated, multi-channel marketing programs to significantly increase leisure and business travel to Chicago from domestic and international markets,” according to the organization.

"The response from Chicago's advertising community was incredible," said Don Welsh, president and CEO, Choose Chicago. "Ultimately, we selected the teams that we believe could creatively express the assets of our great city in the most compelling and creative manner."

Choose Chicago made its agency selections after an eight-week review process. Search consultant R3:JLB helped manage the process.  

The agency review followed a nine-month global traveler research project conducted by Leo Burnett Chicago. Findings from the research identified priority consumer segments, geographic marketing targets, and a brand positioning for the city.

Choose Chicago said the brand position derived from the research was used as the strategic foundation for creative and media concepts developed during the agency review.