January 23, 2008 – An advertising campaign now running includes a whimsical depiction of Marina City as two towers of saucers topped with cups.

Downtown Partners Chicago designed five print ads for Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau. They are part of a campaign called “make no little plans,” which is a quote attributed to Chicago City planner Daniel Burnham. (According to the Chicago Historical Society, the full quote is, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.”)

The Marina City ad promotes Chicago as a dining destination. The text at the top of the ad reads, “Welcome to the culinary capital of America. Saveur magazine and The Robb Report named Chicago America’s best dining city. And with the new McCormick Place West boasting everything from casual to fine dining, now’s the time to make your reservations. Make no little plans. Choose Chicago.”

Lee Hillerich, Account Manager for Downtown Partners Chicago, says the ads, “focus on pillars – Beauty/Eco, Theatre, Meeting Facilities and Culture/Ethnicity – that make Chicago unique.”

The ads are running in trade publications that target meeting planners. Hillerich says, “We are hoping to extend the campaign to a broader audience as well.”

Downtown Partners Chicago is owned by Omnicom Group. Creative Directors on the campaign were Joe Stuart and Jim Schmidt. Scott Drey was Art Director. Copywriters were Adam Moroze and Tim Bunker. Joe Wigdahl was the photographer.

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