New Brunswick tourism ad set to appear during Super Bowl

Those watching the Super Bowl on Sunday in Canada will be encouraged to visit New Brunswick, thanks to an advertisement spot purchased by the provincial government to air during the annual event.

Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace says its an opportunity the department couldn't miss.

"It was a steal of a deal,” said Scott-Wallace.

Officials call it a marketing investment. The cost of broadcast advertisements during the game are known for their hefty price tags, and this one cost $186,000.

New Brunswick’s business sector is hoping they'll see the return.

"Whatever we can do to drive traffic to our local businesses,” said Krista Ross, CEO Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, “to our local tourism attractions and to invite people to come and visit us, I think is a great thing.”

The strategy isn't new.

"We're seeing a return very quickly on our buys, our advertising for the World Juniors,” Scott-Wallace said.

“It was instantly that we saw our website numbers climb double, triple, quadruple -- we really saw incredible outreach,” she said.

The province already spent $1 million on advertising during the World Juniors, which took place in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in December.

“This is very important money,” Scott-Wallace said. “We're not going to see the visitation -- we're not going to have the money spent without make these very, very important investments.”

Scott-Wallace says the success of large scale ad purchasing is counted in clicks and interest online, but hasn't been measured in dollars yet.

"Marketing and advertising is an investment that needs to be made by local government and private business,” said Ross. “As well, private businesses spend a lot of money on marketing, and this is a destination, so I think it's a good investment,” she said.