Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department's upcoming television commercials will offer people across the country a glimpse of Siloam Springs.
A film crew visited Siloam Springs on Wednesday and took videos and photos at the Whitewater Recreation Park, Pour Jon's Coffee and Vinyl, 28 Springs and Inn at the Springs, according to Holland Hayden, city communications director.
The material from Siloam Springs will be used in the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department's 2015 advertising campaign, which will include television commercials, print ads, and online ads "in as many places as we can get," said Debbie Grace, broadcast producer for CJRW Advertising Agency.
The advertising campaign will include indoor, outdoor and aerial videos and photos taken across the state, she said.
The Parks and Tourism Department is always looking for new attractions to include in commercials, Grace said. They came to Siloam Springs to visit the new Whitewater Recreation Park on the Illinois River south of town as a possible location and found the town had a lot more to offer, she said.
Hayden said she was contacted by the Parks and Tourism Department and met with producers at the Whitewater Recreation Park. After the meeting, she took them to lunch at 28 Springs and encouraged them to take a look at downtown Siloam Springs.
Hayden helped arrange for about 25 local actors to participate in the shoots, Grace said. The Parks and Tourism Department also hired several professional actors as well.
Hot Springs and Eureka Springs are two famous springs in Arkansas, but people need to know there are other springs in the state, Grace said.
Many people already know Arkansas offers plenty to do outdoors, she said. Grace hopes the commercials will show Arkansas also offers a lot of unique towns and urban entertainment.
"Our research shows that if you can get people to Arkansas they do come back because they love it here," Grace said. "There are a lot of friendly people."
General News on 07/27/2014