Destination NSW has teamed up with Westfield for a multimillion dollar marketing effort spruiking regional NSW which includes the tourism body's most ambitious digital venture yet.
The 'Make Some Our Time' campaign was officially launched by Premier Barry O'Farrell this morning at Westfield Bondi Junction. The campaign will target Sydneysiders and encourage them to take short breaks within the state and support the local economy.
As part of the partnership with Westfield, every time a consumer makes a purchase over $30 within eight centres, they are given a scratch card which may reveal a $200 accommodation voucher. There are 650 participating tourism suppliers across the state.
Four Westfield centres across the city – Bondi Junction, Parramatta, Miranda and Chatswood – will also play host to an augmented reality (AR) activation which we see consumers 'interact' with animals on giant screens.
Destination NSW general manager, marketing Anthony Laver told AdNews the concept behind the AR component was about bring outdoor experiences to the retail environment.
He said: “Sydneysiders are the main target market that take short breaks in NSW so we decided to be highly targeted with this campaign. Sydneysiders who are in shopping centres gave money to spend on discretionary purchases so we want to go where those people are communicate to them. We look to them as the first port of call and then we'll look to expand into other markets.”
Destinations NSW head of digital Diana Kahui said the campaign was the largest digital undertaking the tourism body has embarked on with display and video executions on platforms including Ninemsn, News Limited, Fairfax, Facebook and YouTube.
She said: “This is probably the most amount of digital media for any campaign we've ever planned. The proportion of digital to actually drive interest and to drive actual results is quite considerable. Where ever we can highly visual and have an impact in a digital environment, we'll take that opportunity.”
Laver said the campaign was a “several million dollar investment” but declined to disclose the figure.
The campaign will run for a month from today, however, Kahui signalled it will continue is some form. She said: “We anticipate this campaign will be the backbone of our creative framework for the next couple of years because short breaks resonate so well with Sydneysiders and around the state.”
The strategy and concept was developed internally at Destination NSW while ISS Marketing and Boffswana brought it to life. There are also print and radio executions involved.
O'Farrell said in a statement: “NSW features the most diverse regional areas of any state in Australia ... We want more people to take advantage of all this. Sydneysiders are the key target market for short breaks in regional NSW – spending 4.4 million nights in other parts of the state each year.
“The campaign, based on vouchers worth $200 each, will encourage more people to explore and discover the outstanding attractions, festivals, natural environment and superb cuisine offered by regional NSW.
“Tourism plays a vital role in regional economies, with almost half of the 150,000 direct jobs in the state's tourism industry in regional areas.”
The state wants to double overnight visitor expenditure by 2020. Regional tourism contributed $12.6 billion to the state economy.
MediaCom handled media buying for the campaign as part of the NSW Government master media account.
Follow @AdNews on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.
Have something to say? Send us your comments using the form below or contact the writer at wenleima@yaffa.com.au
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.