Vigo, the Christmas light capital of Spain. Famous for its impressive display of 11,5 million LED lights, this northern city puts others to shame when it comes to Christmas celebrations. But my question is, how did this news reach New York?
Recently, videos on social media showed the Vigo Christmas advert in Manhattan. Although beautiful it’s unbelievable to think Vigo, a city in Galicia in the north of Spain could be recognised from all across the Atlantic. It transpires that it is all part of an incredible marketing campaign.
The mayor of Vigo announced a few months ago that they would be issuing a mega, 820 outdoor advertising boards, e.g. posters by bus stops all around the world, beating last year’s 685.
Spain alone has 629 in 35 different cities, and Portugal has 142. Other places include Paris, Rome, the iconic 5th Avenue in New York and a very surprising addition- Kagoshima in Japan, which has 14 on display.
The global poster features a picture of the Christmas lights with its slogan, “ Christmas in Vigo, unique in the world” translated into the respective language. The original phrase is in gallego, the Galician language, “Nadal de Vigo, único no mundo”.
The extensive advertising strategy is to attract tourism to Vigo and give well-deserved recognition to the outstanding Christmas celebrations of this city, a place which would probably not be necessarily known globally, least of all for its Christmas lights.
The decorations in Vigo are not merely tied to Christmas lights. Those who visit can enjoy an ice rink, Christmas markets, giant ferris wheel, a chat with Santa Clause and see one of the biggest Christmas trees in Spain.
Visit the city where darkness must be hard to come by at this time of year. Have you been to Vigo or maybe come across one of the viral posters? Let us know. Watch our latest episode of Good Morning Spain, where we chat about this and a whole lot more.
