LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - They're bright, bold, florescent and full of city pride. 

Billboard and bus stops across the city are inspiring love for Louisville.

"It is part of a viral, we hope, social media campaign. A little earned media to get people talking about Louisville both on the inside and outside," said Stacey Yates, with the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau came up with the idea that residents will see the new campaign and want to look up the hashtag, then post their own pictures showing the activities and places they love in Louisville.

 

The effort may be noble, but it is leaving some people confused.

Despite the confusion of some people city tourism officials are focusing on the bottom, which is that in Louisville, tourism means big business.

Louisville attracts more than 12 million visitors annually. Many people come to the area for family, friends, special occasions or long weekends. 

The city spent $100,000 trying to increase these quick hit guests, however Louisvillians have the job of spreading the word.

"We're hoping to aggregate people's photos and stories and thoughts about how much they love Louisville because if people here love Louisville and they are telling, we take our advertising buyers and spread that much further," Yates said.

So what are people sharing?

"NuLu, NuLu has a lot going on, Garage Bar down there is fun. Feast is awesome," said Zechariah Jackson, a co-owner of Furniture Dudes in the Irish Hill Neighborhood.

Some people love signature images of the city. "Eiderdown, Ollie's Trolley, Flanagan's" said Nick Embry, another co-owner of Furniture Dudes.

 

For those resident who do not understand the campaign, that's okay. This may not be the campaign for them. Officials say they have a certain demographic they are trying to reach. "Our target market is that millennial generation that's very tech savvy, who knows what a hashtag is pretty readily," Yates explained.

Some younger Louisvillians are living life by their finger tips and traveling with selfie sticks.

One pack of high school seniors says Louisville Love works. One person said she thinks the hashtag is effective. "It's a hashtag so that means a lot of people are going to do it. It's a social trend," said 18-year-old Olivia Howard. "It keep you connected. You see what your friends are doing or what celebs are doing and what's considered in," said 18-year-old Whitney Disney.

 

A campaign composed with 25 billboards, 15 bus shelters and print and digital ads.

The pictures are not worth 1,000 words, but rather 140 characters or less.

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