SUN PHOTO/CINDY LANE
Actors take direction during the filming of an advertisement
portraying a grandmother and granddaughter visiting
the Family Heritage House Museum at Manatee Community
College, recreated at BridgeWalk in Bradenton Beach.
The scene is part of an ad campaign
aimed at attracting African-American
tourists to Anna Maria Island.
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By
Cindy Lane
sun staff writer
BRADENTON BEACH – The Bradenton Area Convention
and Visitors Bureau filmed its first advertising campaign
targeting African-American tourists last week in Bradenton
Beach.
The campaign features a black family having a family
reunion in Manatee County, where they visit Coquina
Beach, the Bridge Street Pier and the Sun House Restaurant
in Bradenton Beach. Off the Island, they also play golf,
take in the Family Heritage House Museum at Manatee
Community College and the Village of the Arts, and enjoy
other area activities.
Featured are "Floribbean" chef Darrell Mizell
of the Sun House Restaurant in Bradenton Beach, Jamaican-born
local artist Herbie Rose, who has a gallery in the Village
of the Arts, and a cast of actors.
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The advertisements will run in Chicago, Atlanta, North
Carolina and the Northeastern United States, and possibly
will be aired on the Black Entertainment Television network,
CVB Director of Marketing and Public Relations Susan Estler
said.
It’s the first time the CVB has had the funds to
advertise to a specialized audience, she said, adding
that previous campaigns have been aimed at a general audience.
The county is currently using two themes on its website:
"Florida’s Gulf Islands – Take Me Away"
and "Florida’s Gulf Islands - Island Magic."
The Manatee County Tourist Development Council, which
advises the CVB, has scheduled its next meeting on the
Island for the convenience of beach business owners interested
in attending. The meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. on April
17 at Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive.
