EXCLUSIVE: Air New Zealand will launch a branded-content campaign via a reality series narrated by Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby, best known for his role as Murray in Flight of the Conchords.
The reality series, The Kiwi Sceptics, follows the adventures of four real people who have no interest in visiting New Zealand and have to be tricked into visiting the country.
Each of the four episodes focuses on one of the characters, “Bali Girl”, “Aussie-Aussie”, “Hipster” and “Europhile”, all narrated by Darby. They are persuaded throughout the trip to change their minds about NZ, lured by a series of experiences tailored for them.
The episodes will be hosted on Ninemsn and Air New Zealand’s digital platforms, with additional print executions in ACP magazines as part of a media deal with Nine Entertainment Co. The campaign launches on 13 February and will also be shown in cinemas.
Air New Zealand marketing manager Kelly Millier said the The Kiwi Sceptics is the biggest marketing campaign the brand has launched in Australia for 10 years.
“At Air New Zealand we know NZ is one of the best places on earth, but for one reason or another, there are many Aussies who don’t see the same fresh and progressive side of New Zealand that we do. We figured if we could change the minds of those most sceptical, we should be able to convince those who are sitting on the fence,” Millier said.
Air New Zealand is well known for cheeky campaigns, including an in-flight instructional video featuring ‘80s fitness icon Richard Simmons which went viral last year, and a series of ads featuring an irreverent puppet character called Rico.
This article first appeared in the 10 February 2012 edition of AdNews. Click here to subscribe for more news, features and opinion.
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