Atlantic City needs to get more creative with its new fall ad campaign

“Do AC” has been the exhortation for spring and summer visitors to Atlantic City. But now that the seasons are changing, vacationers are being urged to “Do Change” in Atlantic City this fall.

Men walk on the beach in Atlantic City N.J. on Aug. 26, 2011. The Atlantic City Alliance has launched a new “Do Change” advertising campaign to promote things to do in the fall. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

The latest segment of the resort’s $20 million advertising campaign kicked off this week with TV, radio, print and online spots that will run through December.

The Atlantic City Alliance, the casinos’ marketing arm, says the 30-second “Do Change” TV ad will air at least 1,300 times in the New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore markets. In addition, 3,500 radio spots will air among 33 stations.

The new campaign is timed to the change of seasons, and it emphasizes things to do in Atlantic City in the fall, including indoor pools, spas, rooftop bars with fire pits and shopping. Like the “Do AC” campaign, the latest ads will play up non-gambling amenities and try to broaden the resort’s appeal to those who have little or no interest in betting.

The casinos are using money they previously had to hand over to horse tracks in return for the state banning slot machines at the tracks. Gov. Chris Christie ended that arrangement two years ago and allowed the resort to use that money to market itself to a far greater extent than it had been.

At a state Assembly hearing last week in Atlantic City that evaluated how state-imposed reforms have been faring in the resort, Jeff Guaracino, the Atlantic City Alliance’s chief strategy and communications officer, said they are starting to pay off in improved perceptions of Atlantic City in areas where the ad campaign has been targeted.

The state created a tourism district encompassing the casinos, the downtown shopping districts, the beach and the former Bader Field airport site. It now oversees safety, cleanliness and redevelopment efforts in the zone.

Christie has said he wants to give the reforms five years to succeed or fail before revisiting the question of whether casino gambling should be allowed in other parts of the state. Elected officials in northern New Jersey and the horse racing industry are pushing for casino gambling at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, as well as at the state’s three other horse tracks.