Campaign to Bolster Use of Bayfront Businesses to Cost $520K
The people who manage and work on San Diego’s tidelands are asking others to tell them what they like about San Diego Bay.
This week, the Port of San Diego and the San Diego Port Tenants Association are launching a creativity contest called “Why I Love San Diego Bay,” and a sweepstakes lottery as a way of publicizing the benefits of the bay.
The campaign, which runs through May 3, will cost $520,000, with some $375,000 going toward the purchase of advertising on local television, radio and print media outlets.
Port officials say the spending will help bring more people to bayfront restaurants and other businesses, resulting in added sales, and revenues for the port district through its lease contracts.
“By having San Diego-area adults and youths creatively express what they love about the bay, we are able to promote the port tidelands and businesses on the port tidelands to a regional audience through a truly interactive partnership program,” said Paul Speer, chairman of the port’s board of commissioners.
Sharon Cloward, a representative of the Port Tenants Association, said this is the first year the association participated in the promotion. Fifteen tenants contributed $100,000 toward the program.
The creativity contest asks entrants to say why they love the bay, and has three media categories: writing, photography and art. The age categories are 6-12; 13-17; and 18 and older. The sweepstakes is open to anyone 18 and older.
Prizes for the creativity contest include cruises to Alaska, Mexico and the Caribbean; lunches at local restaurants, and tours.
The grand prizes for the sweepstakes include round-trip airfare to London and a 16-day cruise to Hawaii.
The port has enlisted Jean Michel Cousteau, son of famed underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, to announce the winners of the creativity contest at a presentation to protect the oceans May 20.
The winners of the sweepstakes will be announced June 3 at the port’s annual Operation Clean Sweep, which will be held this year at National City’s Pepper Park. The volunteer event seeks to clean up a particular area of the bay and promote keeping it clean and safe among boaters and other users.
While the creativity and sweepstakes contests add a fun element to the program, its primary goal is “to demonstrate how significant the bay is to the region, and how we must properly take care of it to ensure that it will stay that way,” Speer said.
