While the “Amigos Always” campaign was recently created through a collaboration between your McAllen Chamber of Commerce, McAllen EDC, the City of McAllen, and our partners in Mexico, the reality is our marketing efforts to increase foreign tourism in our city and throughout the region have existed for many years now.
In fact, one of our marketing initiatives began over six years ago with the assistance of RTREVIÑO Creative Marketing, who is based in Monterrey, Mexico.
The team at RTREVIÑO Creative Marketing worked diligently at that time to define our city’s highly valuable qualities and to express those expertly to our target audience – Mexican nationals and tourists.
In a joint effort, we were able to establish that what made McAllen such a unique and alluring destination was our ability to offer an exclusive American experience and convenient locality.
Undoubtedly, McAllen’s proximity to the border has provided Mexican tourists the opportunity to visit high quality stores, obtain posh brands and items, and enjoy a bevy of restaurants and other amenities without having to travel hundreds of miles further north.
Adding to this, our warm and friendly American-style environment has beckoned visitors to come and enjoy the modern offerings of our city.
A Continuation of the Past.
Our current marketing campaign – “Amigos Always” – is a reminder to the communities of Northern Mexico of our cordial and harmonious friendship.
While there are a number of socio-political reasons and economic conditions that have contributed to the current slowdown of foreign visitors to the McAllen metro area, the message that McAllen has promoted for years continues to be the same – our histories, families, communities, and economies have been intertwined for generations and we still honor those connections.
The “Amigos Always” branding was thoroughly studied and analyzed alongside other possible tag lines to ensure that this message of respect and friendship would convey our true feelings toward the situation and toward our relationship with our southern neighbors.
Through qualitative surveys conducted at various universities in Mexico, “Amigos Always” was born. The phrasing received the highest approval rating from survey participants because of its ability to convey warmth, truthfulness, as well as the the wording including English and Spanish terms.
What Happens Next.
The communication of “Amigos Always” will happen through a number of real-world marketing items including pin buttons for service employees, bumper stickers, water bottles with co-branding, tshirts, as well as stickers on the windows of businesses and hotels.
Furthermore, “Amigos Always” is being used as a ‘seal’ on the marketing campaign taking place in Mexico. The tag line as a graphic icon is being displayed heavily on billboards, press releases, and especially on social media channels and digital media being produced for the campaign.
Your McAllen city leaders, organizations, and municipal offices wholly believe that we must continue, as a business community, to communicate our appreciation for the Mexican tourists who visit our region and contribute to the local economy.
We encourage every McAllen business to:
- Take an active role on social media.
- Like, comment and share “See you in McAllen” posts and tweets.
- Use #SeeYouInMcAllen on your own business posts and tweets.
- Pick up “Amigos” signage and point of sale brochures at the Chamber.
- Give your employees “Amigos” pins to wear at point of sale.
- Continue to deliver the warm welcomes and outstanding customer experiences our visitors have always counted on when they come to McAllen!
Remember that the birth of “Amigos Always” has been a movement in the making. As Mcallen citizens and businesses, we are simply continuing to show our neighborly support and care that has made the region such a special place for Mexican nationals.
Visit #SeeYouInMcAllen to learn more about the marketing collaboration between the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, the City of McAllen, and McAllen Economic Development Corporation.