‘You can’t marketplace your manner out of worldwide chaos,’ says NYC’s CMO Nancy Mammana

“It’s easy in the sense that it’s New York City and people love it,” says Nancy Mammana, leader advertising and marketing officer of New York City Tourism + Conventions.

If the town had been to forestall advertising and marketing itself, then again, would folks nonetheless come? “Probably,” she says, “but they wouldn’t go where we want them to go, when we want them to go.”

Mammana is talking to The Drum on the judging day for The Drum Awards for Marketing Americas, which might be being held within the places of work of Stagwell at One World Trade Center and subsidized via Verizon.

Welcome to the ambiguity of town advertising and marketing: it’s promoting one thing iconic, chaotic and continuously in flux, particularly at a time when global guests are wondering whether or not the United States nonetheless feels welcoming.

“We’re dealing with negative press, post-pandemic perceptions, global instability, visa delays and misinformation,” she says. “People are afraid of being stopped at the border. That’s real. And no, you can’t market your way out of those problems. You can only keep telling the truth – and keep showing up.”

So, how do you promote the Big Apple all the way through small-minded politics? You double down in your values.

“Our current global campaign is ‘With Love and Liberty, New York City.’” It’s constructed round Lady Liberty, an emblem that transcends borders, and the message is inconspicuous: everyone seems to be welcome right here.

The artwork of dispersion

Beyond politics, Mammana faces a logistical puzzle. “Everyone knows Times Square. Everyone knows Broadway. But we need people to explore more. It’s not just about increasing tourism. It’s about distributing it across all five boroughs and throughout the year.”

From focused on shoulder seasons to pushing lesser-known neighborhoods, her workforce runs B2C campaigns and B2B training concurrently. “It’s not sexy, but it’s essential,” she provides.

Inside the NYC advertising and marketing gadget

If you’re picturing a swish exterior company dealing with all this, assume once more. Mammana’s workforce is 100-strong and does just about the whole thing in-house. “We’re basically an agency within an agency,” she says. “We handle content, creative, video, social, project management, digital… everything but media buying and search.”

Why? “Because New York is personal. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone thinks they own the brand. That makes it harder to outsource. So we protect it.”

From AI chatbots to water cannon welcomes

While budgets are tight, innovation continues to be alive. NYC lately introduced an AI-powered chatbot for assembly planners (a consumer-facing model is subsequent), serving to customers navigate the town in 45 languages.

And then there’s the ‘hug-a-Canadian’ technique. With Canadian tourism losing and political jitters emerging, Mammana’s workforce spoke back with human-level heat. “When Porter Airlines landed in LaGuardia, we greeted it with a water cannon salute and welcome bags,” she says. “It was joyful. It was real. We want people to feel that – no matter what’s happening in the world.”

What CMOs can be informed from town advertising and marketing

If you assume your emblem has symbol problems, take a look at representing a town the place each citizen has a megaphone. “New Yorkers are very opinionated – shocking, I know,” Mammana jokes. “If you ask three locals where to get pizza, you’ll get six answers. But that’s the gift. We have 100 voices on our team and we use that diversity to our advantage.”

She sees parallels for CMOs in every single place:

• Be nimble: In-house groups permit sooner pivots and unique storytelling.

• Be inclusive: “We lead with diversity, because that’s who we are.”

• Be fair: “We don’t sugarcoat. We educate, inform and show real-time content to counter the news cycle.”

What’s subsequent?

With the World Cup coming, the America 250 celebrations and the NYC400 marketing campaign already rolling, 2026 is about to be a blockbuster.

But Mammana remains grounded: “We take the long view. There are currency fluctuations, there’s air traffic control drama, there’s global unrest. But when you come here, you get your money’s worth. That’s the New York promise.”

And what about that iconic slogan, ‘I Love New York’? “That’s the state’s, not ours,” she clarifies. “But if people think it’s us… We’re not going to complain.”