Actually, if you have the Christmas and the New Orleans  "bugs", it's time to get involved in the 28th Annual Christmas New Orleans Style Campaign by New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation which brings value-added Network programing highlights and instagram prize participation at #NOLAChristmas.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it's time to prepare for "Neaux Orleans Christmauex" with Papa Noel hotel discounted rates, Christmas Caroling by Candlelight in Jackson Square, ·Free Concerts at St. Louis Cathedral and St. Augustine Church,  Great Christmas Shopping, Carriage Rides through the French Quarter, 47 Restaurants Serving Reveillon Dinners,  Holiday Cooking Demonstrations and more.

New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, NOTMC, and French Quarter Festivals, Inc. (FQFI) are starting earlier than ever this year to promote the month-long Christmas New Orleans Style festivities. New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation has launched a multimedia Christmas New Orleans Style marketing campaign to convince visitors to spend their holiday experiencing New Orleans.

“New Orleans citizens are anxious to share their authentic traditions and unique way of living, especially at Christmas,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “We want the world to know about our Christmas concerts, our world-famous Reveillon dining, and our holiday traditions from the beginning of Christmas New Orleans Style through the Super Bowl on January 12, 2013.”

The 28-year-old Christmas New Orleans Style celebration, in 2012, features a diverse program produced and executed by French Quarter Festivals, Inc. and sponsored by NOTMC.  More than 50 free events and activities are planned throughout the city spread over more than a month of festivities from December first through Twelfth Night, January 5th, 2013.

“Our 2012 celebration of Christmas New Orleans Style is bigger and better than ever,” said Mark Romig, CEO of NOTMC. “A New Orleans Christmas offers the perfect family holiday trip, in a temperate climate, with activities that both educate and delight.” 

The month-long celebration numbering over 50 events includes:

·      Papa Noel hotel discounted rates at 53 area hotels and 5 bed and breakfast establishments

·      Christmas Caroling by Candlelight in Jackson Square

·      18 Free Concerts at St. Louis Cathedral and St. Augustine Church

·      Great Christmas Shopping with Many Discounts Around the City

·      Carriage Rides through the French Quarter47 Restaurants Serving Reveillon Dinners

·      12 Holiday Cooking Demonstrations at the French Market

·      Entertaining Historic Characters from the “Louisiana Living History Project”

“To take advantage of all that Christmas New Orleans Style (CNOS) has to offer, you should pick up our guidebook, said Marci Schramm, Executive Director of French Quarter Festivals, Inc. It is available either online or from any hotel concierge and it fits in your pocket to carry along with you during your stay.”

A CNOS campaign video features New Orleans native Bryan Batt, a veteran stage and Emmy-award-winning TV actor on YouTube, which can be viewed here. The campaign is also supported across NOTMC’s social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, and the GoNola.com blog. Additionally, visitors and locals can share personal holiday scenes on instagram by tagging their photos with #NOLAChristmas for the chance to win prizes or become a featured photo throughout the season.

In addition to the social media presence, a thirty-second TV spot, also featuring Batt, is running in select markets. As an added-value, appearances on local television news shows in some of those markets will feature Bryan Batt, New Orleans chefs, and Louisiana historic characters. A promotional sweepstakes in five of the markets will offer a chance for a free trip for two to New Orleans.

This year, for the first time, programming highlights will appear on popular prime-time TV shows including Glee, the Voice, X Factor, and Dancing with the Stars, as well as high profile sporting events including SEC and NFL football games.

The thirty-second television ad and print ad will run in key regional markets including: Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Biloxi-Gulfport, Birmingham, Jackson, Lafayette, Little Rock, Mobile-Pensacola, Monroe-El Dorado, Shreveport, and Hattiesburg. Full-page print ads will appear in cultural magazines including 225, Louisiana Cookin’ and Louisiana Life. Regional newspaper ads will appear in the Arkansas Times, Hattiesburg American, Jackson Free Press, Pensacola Independent, and the Sun Herald.

NOTMC’s agency of record, Dentsu America along with Spears Consulting Group and social media firm FSC Interactive worked together to coordinate the ad campaign across all platforms.

To learn more about Christmas New Orleans Style, and to see the 2012 CNOS guide book listing all scheduled events, visit New Orleans’ official tourism site, www.NewOrleansOnline.com/holiday or FQFI.org. Hotel reservations, including special citywide rates, can also be booked via NewOrleansOnline.com.  For a schedule of events or more information on Christmas New Orleans Style, call (504) 522-5730 or visit www.NewOrleansOnline.com/holiday. 

WATCH BRIAN BATT IN THE CHRISTMAS NEW ORLEANS STYLE VIDEO --CLICK HERE

Watch Vince Vance's "All I want for Christmas Is You"