A while back, I wrote a post about how spot-on the New Orleans “Follow Your NOLA” campaign was – a perfect embodiment of the city and the haphazardly fantastic experiences you could have when you visit.

Well they put a new coat of paint on the campaign this year, which features three tourism TV ads. And quite frankly, the old campaign was a lot better. This year’s campaign has the same narrative in all three spots, but each spot represents a different person’s experience in the city. It’s a creative approach for sure, but it’s one that doesn’t really work unless you watch them all one after the other. The more important question is: are these ads right for New Orleans?

And the answer is an emphatic “no.”

The ads are voiced by an actor who doesn’t have an ounce of New Orleans soul. And New Orleans has more soul than any other city in America. The song is okay and the footage is good, but it just doesn’t flow the way the previous campaign did. Of course, this is just the humble opinion of a copywriter whose been to New Orleans seven times. Compare the old and new campaigns, and decide for yourself.

Here’s the old ad:

Here are the three new ones:

The upside is, their website is still the same, and remains a great way to represent the New Orleans experience. So as long as their ads in other media – and, more importantly, their efforts in mobile search – are working, the campaign should still be effective. It’s just a shame they got rid of such a perfectly soulful TV spot. Resurrect it, and New Orleans just might get its groove back 100%.