05 November 2009

Tourism Australia seeking consistent message

SYDNEY Ã¢â¬' Advertising agency DDB is set to launch its first major global brand push for Tourism Australia next year, with the tourism body adamant the campaign will run for at least a decade.

Andrew McEvoy, managing director-elect of Tourism Australia, said the constantly changing direction of its ad campaigns was hampering the countryÃ¢â¬â¢s efforts to attract visitors and that a campaign of Ã¢â¬Åâœconsistency and longevityÃ¢â¬~ needed to be developed to sell the destination locally and internationally, he told B&TÃ¢â¬â¢s sister publication Travel Today.

McEvoy, who will officially start as managing director in January, said work has already started on a new campaign that is timed to launch in the first half of 2010.

While details of the campaign are being kept under wraps, McEvoy said it is important to stick to a campaign idea and develop it, rather than keep changing it.

Tourism VictoriaÃ¢â¬â¢s long-standing Jigsaw campaign, which was launched in 1993 by Mojo Partners, and New ZealandÃ¢â¬â¢s 100% Pure campaign were examples to aspire to, he said, and added marketers tend to tire of a campaign just as consumers start to understand and react to them.

A consistent message that is integrated across multiple channels was also said to be vital.

Tourism Australia has launched a number of expensive campaigns in the past, including Baz LuhrmannÃ¢â¬â¢s filmic Ã¢â¬ÅâœCome WalkaboutÃ¢â¬~ and M&C SaatchiÃ¢â¬â¢s controversial Ã¢â¬ÅâœWhere the bloody hell are you?Ã¢â¬~ campaign in 2006.