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A print ad from Destination Cleveland's award-winning rebranding campaign.

(Destination Cleveland)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Consider the conversation changed.

Destination Cleveland's edgy new rebranding campaign, which features the key phrase, "If you don't like what people are saying, change the conversation," earned top honors last month from an industry trade group.

The advertising campaign, launched last year, earned a "Best of Show" award by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, beating out 1,200 other entries, including finalists Hilton Worldwide, Booking.com and the Utah Office of Tourism.

Cleveland's campaign -- which features print, television and digital ads targeting would-be tourists in nearby communities, including Columbus, Pittsburgh and Detroit -- was put together by Destination Cleveland and Kansas City advertising firm MMGY Global.

The ads feature a set of images from the city designed to promote a place that isn't afraid of its own skin: "You may have read the stories. Heard the jokes," says one TV ad. "But while they were talking about us, we weren't listening."

(To see the ads: mmgyglobal.com/work/cleveland-branding.)

David Gilbert, president of Destination Cleveland, said that while industry awards are great, the results are what matter.

"It's a nice affirmation," he said. "But for us, it's all about driving business."

Final visitation numbers for 2014 won't be available for several months. But in 2013, Cuyahoga County drew 16.2 million visits, up 4 percent from the year before.