Birmingham's destination marketing agency today unveils its national Christmas campaign 'It's got to be a Birmingham Christmas' in partnership with train operator London Midland to raise the city's profile during the lucrative festive season.

A celebration of the upcoming festive period, the integrated marketing campaign will capitalise on the magic of the season with targeted advertising, online and media activity. National advertising will feature a magical Cinderella-style character highlighting the range of events and activities Birmingham offers festive visitors, while a home page takeover of www.visitbirmingham.com will offer vouchers, competitions and short clips. A viral game, Ho-Ho-Ho Express will also be unveiled on the site, designed to encourage online users to engage with the city's attractions and festive offer. 

Emma Gray, Director of Marketing Services at Marketing Birmingham, which manages the Visit Birmingham campaign, believes that the city's festive offer makes it a key 'moment in time' for promotional activity that is proven to deliver results.

"This campaign is a celebration of Birmingham's unique Christmas offer, famed for its Michelin- starred restaurants, first-rate theatre performances, affordable hotels and the most popular German market in the UK. We are in a stronger position than ever to attract visitors looking for a festive city break with friends or family."

The collaboration between Visit Birmingham and London Midland is designed to boost Birmingham's profile during as the economic climate continues to impact consumers' discretionary spend.  Alongside London Midland, the campaign is supported by a range of partners including Cadbury World, the REP and Alexandra Theatres, Brindleyplace, Broad Street, Barber Institute of Fine Arts, the Jewellery Quarter and Winterbourne House & Garden. 

Gray believes the campaign will support local attractions and help the city's visitor economy, worth £4.4bn annually, to thrive during the Christmas boom period.

"The partnership between Marketing Birmingham, London Midland and our other partners is a boost to the city's tourism sector at a time when consumers are looking for value for money, which Birmingham can offer this Christmas.  By combining public and private sector funding to support the city marketing activity we will ensure Birmingham punches its weight as a destination during the festive period."

The integrated campaign will target passengers along the London Midland line, which stretches from London to Liverpool throughout the Midlands, serving Birmingham's New St, Moor St and Snow Hill stations.  Timed to coincide with the opening of the Frankfurt Market, which last year attracted over 3 million visitors, it will highlight the city at the heart of the country via London Midland's route, which carries almost 50 million passengers per year and operates 1200 trains daily.  The campaign will also provide ticket offers for visitors to enjoy the city's attractions when they arrive. 

David Whitley, Head of Marketing for London Midland, believes that working closely with city partners provides a better visitor experience for rail passengers.

"London Midland can deliver you to the heart of festive fun in Birmingham, the perfect place for a city break this Christmas.  By combining our marketing activity, we can not only highlight all the joint things happening in the city this Christmas, but also remind people that getting here by train is a cost effective and relaxing experience."

Local Birmingham creative agencies have been involved in the creation of the campaign including Seal Communications, One Black Bear and TAMBA.

For more information on Marketing Birmingham, please visit their website here: www.marketingbirmingham.co.uk