Best Job in the World campaign blitzes Cannes Awards
Tourism Queensland’s ground-breaking Best Job in the World campaign for the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef has cleaned up to win six awards on day one of the prestigious Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival – the advertising industry’s equivalent of the Oscars.
Tourism Queensland Chairman Don Morris said the Best Job in the World campaign had won two of the festival’s 11 only Grand Prix awards, including the inaugural PR award, and four Gold Lions awards.
"The Cannes Lions Festival recognises the best of the best in the advertising world and the Grand Prix awards are the ultimate awards, so for the Best Job in the World campaign to win two in one night is unprecedented," Mr Morris said.
"Tourism Queensland’s campaign beat more than 400 other entries from around the world for the inaugural PR Grand Prix award and over 1000 for the Direct Grand Prix – and this on the very first night of the five-day festival.
"Tourism Queensland has been consistently recognised as Australia’s leading tourism organisation, but the amazing success of the Best Job in the World campaign now firmly places us as the world’s most creative tourism organisation."
Mr Morris said the campaign also received four Gold Lions awards in the categories of travel, tourism and leisure, best use of the internet, digital media and social media.
Tourism Queensland Executive Director of Marketing, Steve McRoberts, who is currently in Cannes, said the buzz about the Best Job in the World campaign at the awards was incredible.
"The cream of the advertising world is here in Cannes and it seems everywhere we go people are talking about Tourism Queensland’s Best Job in the World campaign," Mr McRoberts said.
"Everyone from the heads of the world’s biggest advertising agencies, to English peerage, celebrities and world media have stopped us to offer their congratulations and say they wished they had thought of the idea first.
"Considering The Best Job in the World has been up against more than 22,000 entries from 86 countries, including major global brands with multi-million budgets, to scoop the pool on the first night is an incredible achievement."
Mr McRoberts said the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival continued for the rest of the week with The Best Job in the World campaign nominated for a further major award to be announced on Saturday night Cannes time.
The Best Job in the World campaign, a global search for a ‘Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef’ with a six-month, $AUD150,000 (approximately $USD120,000) contract was launched in January and became an overnight success.
More than 34,000 applications from almost 200 countries were received with the UK’s Ben Southall announced as the Island Caretaker in early May.
Ben will begin his six-month contract on July 1 and will spend his time exploring the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef and reporting back on his experiences.
The campaign has so far generated more than $AUD200 million (approximately $USD160 million) in global publicity value for Queensland.
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