Tourism New Zealand knew the trans-Tasman travel ‘bubble’ was going to open, they just didn’t know when. However they wanted to be ready to go, and anticipated stiff competition from domestic tourism boards vying to capture the attention of Australians. With this in mind, they briefed us to create something which would accommodate for the uncertainty of timings. Something that would not just promote New Zealand but capture the essence of the brand platform - ‘100% Pure New Zealand Welcome’ – by creating a welcoming invitation to Aussies who had experienced a long stint of being unable to leave Australia. We didn’t just want Australian’s to feel good about New Zealand, we want them to DO something about it and go experience it for themselves. 

The Thinking

Claimed demand for a holiday in New Zealand was higher than ever thanks to New Zealand’s success in managing COVID as well as everything the destination has to offer.  However, As a team we knew that going toe-to-toe with Australia on landscape and attractions wasn’t going to cut through. We needed to infuse our idea with the welcoming nature, humour and charm of the Kiwi people as well. We also needed to create a media asset that we could switch on in a moment, across multiple channels, with a powerful call to action that tapped into the widespread craving to experience something different, to be somewhere different.

We needed to tap into Australia’s yearning for an impactful and meaningful international experience to inspire them to book a trip to New Zealand. We’ve never really articulated it, but Germans call it fernweh. More than possessing a simple wanderlust, fernweh not only implies going beyond the borders of home, but journeying deep into other parts of the planet. And when something like this is on your mind it often infects your dreams…

The Idea

Stop Dreaming About New Zealand and Go.

A fun, charming and surreal dream of an Aussie visiting New Zealand that shows exactly why a trip to New Zealand is the holiday we’ve been craving.

The Execution

We decided to present an actual dream of travelling to New Zealand but in a quintessentially Kiwi tone of voice and style. A dream that showcased all the different aspects of what makes a New Zealand holiday so special - the food, the landscapes and the adventure – all shown through the lens of a welcoming Kiwi dream guide.The dream cleverly captured the Australian’s desire to escape beyond the borders in a playful and humble New Zealand way. It also allowed us to put a very direct and powerful call to action: Stop Dreaming About New Zealand And Go. We showed Australian’s that New Zealand is a place where they can turn their passions, dreams and fantasies into lived experiences and feel the invigorating power of a deeply impactful holiday - a place for them to not just see, but to genuinely feel the embrace of this place they've been longing for. 

Tourism ads in the past have shied away from using surreal elements as there is a fear that it may distract from the actual experience. We cut through by doing the opposite. We created a series of films that carefully wove in surrealism and dream-like transitions to elevate the New Zealand experience. The hero film is centred around an Aussie dreamer who discovers he is having a dream about New Zealand, courtesy of a very friendly Kiwi dream guide who acts as though everything weird and wonderful that happens is ‘business as usual’. Our larger film was specifically created to break down into smaller topic films which focussed on each of the experiences we wanted to showcase to different audiences – food and wine, cycling through vineyards, soaking in hot tubs, and jet boating. This gave us huge flexibility in targeting different Australian audiences, using varying length films with different attractions for different media channels such as Instagram, and Youtube.

The Results

7.3M Unique Users Reached through Digital Video

1.5M Reached through Cinema

Video view through rate of 97%