The county's tourism council is launching a new advertising campaign to counteract the negative effects of the Gulf oil spill -- and BP is picking up the tab.

The $400,000 campaign, called "Unaffected," is intended to communicate that the Florida Keys have not been physically impacted by the spill. The funds come from part of the $25 million BP pledged to Florida for tourism marketing in May.

The Monroe County Tourist Development Council procured a share of the money after sending a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist, council spokesman Andy Newman said. Monroe County Commissioner Mario Di Gennaro, who serves on the governor's Gulf Oil Spill Economic Recovery Task Force, also was instrumental in securing the funds, Newman said.

The ads will use imagery of clear waters for diving, fishing and multiple watersports and also land-based activities including dining, nature and cultural activities, said John Underwood of Tinsley Advertising, the firm that developed the campaign.

It plays off both definitions of unaffected, meaning both unmodified or changed, and also genuine and unpretentious.

"All of our current efforts communicate that the Florida Keys and Key West are 'unaffected.' We will continue with this campaign until there is a change," Underwood said. "The efforts communicate that not only are the Keys an 'unaffected' destination but that we are also unaffected in regard to anything related to the BP [Deepwater] Horizon oil spill."

The advertising also drives potential visitors to see for themselves by visiting the Keys tourism website, where there are live webcams throughout the destination. For example, the one posted on Monday, titled "This is the Florida Keys," shows footage of the annual Underwater Music Festival on the Looe Key Reef held Saturday.

"I think it will help greatly," said George Galvin, a member of the Key West District Advisory Committee. "Any time we can infuse more money to promote Key West, especially now with all the media reports about the oil spill, I think it's a positive thing that will only help let everyone know that we're open and that our beaches are clean and we'd love to have them come down."

Galvin, the general manager of the Coconut Beach Resort in Key West, said the campaign represents a significant amount of money.

It uses a mixture of television, radio and digital media venues in key summer markets including Miami/Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Jacksonville, Fort Myers/Naples, Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. Print ads also are scheduled to run in USA Today on Friday, July 30 and Aug. 6.

This campaign is in addition to $1 million in planned advertising for ads running now through Sept. 30 for the Keys, its five districts, and its cultural, fishing and dive programs.

amswary@keysnews.com