Visit Sunshine Coast, in a campaign pitched to combat workplace burnout, took 10 winners of a competition called the Sunshine Sickie to record their experiences on holiday.
‘Sunshine Moments’ is a collaboration with creative agency BCM and IVY PR and aims to highlight the experiences of vacationers.
The campaign includes nine short 16-second films, filmed across Sunshine Coast’s beaches including Mooloolaba, Coolum, Noosa and more.
Visit Sunshine Coast head of marketing Kelly Ryan told AdNews that the production came together in three days.
“The whole idea of sunshine moments is around tapping into those simple moments of pleasure," said Ryan.
"It allows people to come to the Sunshine Coast, leave the stresses of their normal daily life and become their true selves.
“We wanted to keep our brand platform but refresh it so that it continued to authentically show off the Sunshine Coast and get people to choose the Sunshine Coast as their next holiday destination.”
The campaign utilises experiences from real travellers, received from a survey created by BCM.
BCM head of planning Dave Mooney said that the survey helped the team understand the consumer benefit of the Sunshine Coast.
“Annual leave balances are tight, and what Australians want when it comes to family holidays is for it to live up to their expectations,” Mooney said.
“The Sunshine Coast contains everything that every holiday destination has and so much more.
“Its the idea that these unforgettable holidays are made in moments, not in attractions.
"And it's the stringing together of these beautiful moments that brought to life the campaign.”
Visit Sunshine Coast briefed BCM in 2024, Mooney said.
"We had a great amount of time to own the scenarios, hone the scenes and make sure that we were talking to the right audiences with the right kind of messaging.
“That is the key differentiator to a lot of tourism campaigns. While they might stop at a beautiful piece of scenery, Sunshine Moments goes that step further and actually gives you a reason to believe.”
Almost 1000 entries were submitted for the Sunshine Sickie, an all-expenses paid 48-hour break on the Sunshine Coast.
The initiative was backed by statistics that 61% of Australian employees have experienced work-related burnout, above the global average of ~48%, and nearly 40% feel mentally or physically exhausted by the working day’s end, according to Visit Sunshine Coast.
The winners were greeted at the airport by Ryan, CEO Matt Stoeckel and their PR manager.
“There was a mix of winners who've been to the Sunshine Coast before, who had never been and the vibe was one of pure joy,” Ryan said.
“One of the couples from Melbourne extended their trip and stayed the entire week.
“There was also a couple of winners that needed the break as they worked in health services, which had taken a toll on their health.”
'Sunshine Moments’ gained Web traffic up almost 50% compared to last year, including a 10x increase in traffic from New Zealand, Auckland moving into #2 source market behind Brisbane in terms of visits.
The campaign also had special features on ABC News and Triple J. This led to 55M+ earned audience reach.
IVY PR co-managing director Emma Bedsor said that the real priority was to drive real brand connection and national capability with the southern states and New Zealand.
“We've tapped into a cultural moment where we can start a meaningful discussion around burnout and the role that travel can play," Bedsor said.
“By taking any kind of break, you are rejuvenating and recharging, and you avoid that burnout. Travel plays an important part in that.”
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