TBWA\Adelaide Launches #BookThemOut for Fire-Affected Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island
Yesterday, the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) and TBWA\Adelaide launched #BookThemOut - a domestic tourism initiative for the fire-affected areas of Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island (KI).
Speaking with tourism operators immediately after the fires, an overwhelming cry from local businesses was for communications support. They need bookings and tourism. Now.
Says Brent Hill, executive director of marketing, SATC: “As the fires abated, we travelled into the fire zones - first to the Hills and then to KI, within a day or so of it being safe and able to do so, to talk to the guys on the ground about what they needed and wanted.”
Brent stressed: “We didn’t want to get in the way of recovery or emergency personnel. But what came back overwhelmingly was that they wanted to get back to their jobs – doing tourism. Many of these brave guys were CFS volunteers out fighting fires all over KI and the Hills, but their jobs were actually to run tourism operations, and that’s what they’re proud of and want to do again.”
Media includes three 30 second TVCs, a two minute TVC (due for release in the coming days), outdoor, and a full-page wrap of Adelaide’s Sunday Mail. The wrap is designed to be re-used as a poster, to place in businesses and shop windows throughout the state, to encourage local support for tourism to KI and The Hills. On the inside, it contains an open letter to South Australians and a map showing all the areas still open for business on Kangaroo Island.
Social media videos released feature prominent South Australians, including Maggie Beer, AFL player Rory Sloane and television presenter Bel Sloane, asking viewers to visit the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island and #BookThemOut.
TBWA\Adelaide and TBWA\Melbourne chief creative officer Paul Reardon, commented on the campaign response so far: “Launched yesterday by the SA Premier, it’s had immediate bi-partisan support and a great response on social. We’ve had a few people asking how it all happened so quickly? We only began production last Monday. It’s testament to the partnership of everyone involved – SATC, tourism operators, local Government, TBWA\Adelaide and Wavemaker media.”
Adds Brent: “The public and media have shared it and we want that to keep going. We had a cruise ship in at KI on Sunday – the first back there since the fires, and that was also great. It’s definitely doing what we want it to do, and our retail partners – Sealink, KIC, Qantas, Rex, Hertz, Budget, etc have all been fantastic too.
“I’m so proud of my team and the wider group for their commitment. No-one resented coming back early from holidays to work on this, no-one said it was too hard, and we understood the need to be quick to market given cancellations were mounting.
“One of our crew from TBWA\Adelaide even missed his best mates’ wedding – it was huge. Everyone just pitched in.”
A 30 second version featuring the two destinations will also launch for interstate markets, with a message tailored to acknowledge areas around Australia doing it tough.
In South Australia, a two minute version of the TVC and further campaign activity is planned to release in the coming days.
