A 30-second commercial began airing this month on cable television as part of a campaign to encourage visitors to patronize Rahway as activity begins to slowly ramp up in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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The television commercial is part of the “Rahway Stronger” campaign, which also will include signage and digital outreach, as well as recent efforts to create open public spaces downtown for use by local restaurants and eateries.
The cost of the advertisement was roughly about $100,000, and that includes production of the commercial and buying the ad space, which is expected to run through the end of the year. The cost will be covered by funds in the Special Improvement District budget, according to City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Robert Landolfi, who briefed commissioners during the June 3 Redevelopment Agency.
Public Relations Coordinator Lauren Ferrigno said the ad aims to highlight the reopening of local businesses and restaurants, encouraging people in and around Rahway to visit downtown. The commercial aired more in northern New Jersey, specifically Hudson and Bergen counties, that are more out of reach and might have some preconceived notions about Rahway. “We want them to know we offer things that they’re used to, like city life and suburbia,” she said in a telephone interview last week.
“Timing was a real issue; we didn’t want to look like ogres,” Landolfi said, encouraging people to come to Rahway while New York City was still in the middle of the pandemic. ” We tried to hit the market at the right time; I think we probably did.”
There was a concept for a commercial to promote downtown about a year ago, according to Landolfi. Some initial production work was done by Comcast but Landolfi said city officials were not happy with it and shelved it. About seven or eight weeks ago, he said, there was a need to “get this back on the burner.”
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