Fantasy world: Vilnius unveils quirky campaign celebrating city’s obscurity

Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, has launched a new campaign that aims to poke fun at its own obscurity among global travel destinations. The new campaign – ‘Vilnius: Amazing Wherever You Think It Is’ – follows in the tradition of its earlier hit campaign ‘Vilnius – the G-spot of Europe’ that came with the tagline ‘Nobody knows where it is, but when you find it – it’s amazing.’

The idea to use the city’s obscurity as a tool to draw more tourists is also backed by data. According to a 2019 study, undertaken by Go Vilnius, the official development agency of the city which initiated the campaign, only 5% of Brits, 3% of Germans and 6% of Israelis know more than the name and the approximate location of Vilnius.

A campaign-dedicated website will ask visitors to guess where Vilnius is for a chance of winning a trip to the city while being informed of myriad reasons why it is amazing. It will also include a video clip showing the people of Berlin placing the city everywhere from the Americas to Africa.

“Great place to go visit.”

The video is being shared through online platforms along with advertising campaigns in target markets and selected media outlets. Finally, billboards in London, Liverpool and Berlin will portray it reimagined in various fantasy worlds. The campaign will also include a London pop-up Vilnius experience opening on 22 March.

Inga Romanovskienė, director of Go Vilnius said: “Vilnius is continuing the course of presenting itself as an easy-going yet daring city, unafraid to laugh at its faults and break free from certain norms. Our goal is to show that no matter where people think Vilnius is located, it is a great place to go visit.”