LaSalle County tourism committee approves half-season Cubs ad buy, adds $20,000 to unlock Comcast "hometown hub"

The LaSalle County Tourism Committee on Jan. 17 approved a half-season Chicago Cubs advertising buy and an additional $20,000 in advertising spend intended to expand geographic reach and unlock a Comcast set-top “hometown hub.” The motion to purchase the half-season package and add funds passed on a roll-call vote; committee members instructed staff to return next month with specific zone recommendations before the network renewal deadline.

Committee members said the buy is designed to drive overnight stays and hotel-motel tax receipts by reaching “flourishing families,” a demographic the county’s marketing vendor identified as most likely to book multi-night visits. The half-season option runs roughly $40,000; a full season was quoted at about $81,000. Committee members and the vendor emphasized that the additional $20,000 of targeted buys — whether by adding zones or shifting media — would push total buys over the vendor threshold that unlocks a complimentary Comcast “hometown hub,” a set-top landing page where LaSalle County could host longer-form videos and other visitor content.

Why it matters: the committee funds advertising from hotel-motel tax revenue and other tourism funds with the explicit goal of increasing overnight stays, hotel receipts and local spending. Members said the Comcast uplifts could give visitors more ways to explore county attractions before driving in, and the committee is weighing whether the incremental cost will produce measurable room-night gains.

Vendor presentation and metrics

Michelle White, Comcast/Fact TV representative, presented campaign results from the county’s prior-year buys and the MLB placement. White said the Cubs placements ran April 1–Sept. 29 and “added a 10% reach to those families,” and increased frequency of exposure. White showed a chart linking spot airings to immediate visits to the LaSalle County tourism website and described a tracking pixel that credits site activity within 30 minutes of an airing and logs key performance indicators such as brochure downloads.

Bob (Heritage Corridor representative) and the vendor described the current TV zones tied to the Cubs package — Aurora, Naperville, Oak Brook, Orland Park, Highland Park, Glenview, Evanston, St. Charles and Wheaton — and explained that zones can be changed subject to availability and budget. The committee discussed adding streaming-only coverage for other markets (for example, Quad Cities or St. Louis-area streaming) using sports-targeted placements rather than live Cubs game insertions, because live Cubs TV inventory is restricted to Comcast markets around Chicago.

Budget and logistics

Amanda (staff member) confirmed the committee’s operating budget and said the half-season buy is within the committee’s current allocations; the committee would need to authorize any additional $20,000 out of remaining tourism funds. The committee heard that first right of renewal for the Cubs inventory closes 30 days after the most recent Monday, meaning the committee must lock in whether to keep half-season availability within that window; details of zone swaps and streaming additions can be worked out after the half-season commitment is made.

The committee also heard about a potential benefit tied to the larger buy: unlocking a Comcast-hosted “hometown hub” on set-top boxes, which the vendor said would let LaSalle County host extended videos and content for viewers who use Xfinity set-top search. The vendor said the county was about $20,000 short of the threshold in the previous year; the additional incremental buy would push the program over the threshold without added recurring fees.

Motion, votes and next steps

Motion: “Approve the half-season Cubs package (approx. $40,000) and add an additional $20,000 to the ad buy to unlock the hometown hub; staff to work with the vendor on zone availability and return with options.” Mover: Bill (committee member) Seconder: Kathy (committee member) Recorded roll-call (as read during the meeting): Kathy — Aye; Doug — Nay; Bill — Aye; Brian — Nay; Ron — Nay; Ali — Aye.

Staff were directed to: (1) confirm availability and costs for additional zones (TV and streaming) and present options at the committee’s next meeting; (2) provide a spot list showing in-game placement times on request; and (3) provide an updated year-over-year analysis linking impressions to hotel-motel tax and other visitation metrics.

Other notes

- The committee discussed a local videographer, Matthew Klein, who produced the county’s commercial used in the campaign. - Committee members asked the vendor to map ZIP-code-level lifts in hotel bookings and to show next-month comparisons to measure return on the incremental spend.

The committee chair set a follow-up: staff and the vendor will return with zone, streaming and pricing options at the next meeting; the half-season commitment was locked to preserve first-right renewal options.