The world’s leading advertising magazine has dubbed a British gay ad campaign as the “most talked about tourism ad” of 2008.
Adweek has praised the posters for queer British firm Amro Worldwide which used the tagline “So Gay” to promote US destinations.
They appeared in two London underground stations beside the escalators and would have reached 2 million people. But because they caused such controversy, millions more got to hear about them.
South Carolina governor, Mark Sanford, inadvertently boosted the profile of the campaign, when he criticised it.
The governor, on hearing that an advertisement reading South Carolina Is So Gay was at large in London, directed the department of South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism to remove it.
Several media organisations decided to cover the story, helping the campaign to reach a much larger audience.
Amro boss Andrew Roberts said: “Amro Worldwide has just had its busiest January ever.”
The campaign, designed by gay marketing agency Out Now was a cooperative venture between Amro tour operator and six selected US destinations, Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, New Orleans, South Carolina, and Washington DC.