Come Down for Air with Tourism Tasmania

BREATH IN, AND COME DOWN FOR AIR:

TOURISM TASMANIA’S EMMA TERRY ON THE POWER OF CALM

Dawn breaks over the Bay of Fires to the sound of stretching knicker elastic and human squawks as icy water kisses the nether regions of a bunch of swimmers. Mist rises on Lake Rosebery as a lone kayaker takes his sweet time paddling across on a morning coffee run. And at The Nut, a couple shares the simple pleasure of rich flaky scallop pies in the front seat of their Kombi as gentle rain drums on the roof.

These single-shot television ads portraying quiet, wry,

“anti-ordinary” moments in extraordinary landscapes launched the state’s new tourism brand platform, Tasmania – Come Down for Air, in mid October. “We know our key audiences are really stressed and yearning for a break from routine and relentless urban pressures,” says Tourism Tasmania’s Chief

Marketing Officer, Emma Terry. “We think we’ve got a unique perspective on living and being in Tasmania, and this is an invitation for travellers to experience that, to come down and find their ‘air’ – whether it’s space, time, freedom, connection or adventure.”

In the campaign’s first six months, Tasmania – Come Down for Air will be featured on television, radio, cinema screens, social media and digital channels in domestic markets through three bursts of marketing activity. It will also be seen on billboards and sites

such as bus shelters, airport lounges and railway stations.

Emma, briefly what’s the background to Come Down for Air?

When Go Behind the Scenery was launched in 2013, it was really a watershed moment for Tasmania’s tourism marketing. No one expected us to come out of the gates with something so different and distinctive, and it changed people’s perceptions of the state. That was a time when we were evolving beyond just a clean, green image to capturing more of our people, our personality, our culture, our art, our food. That brand did really well for us for six years. To sustain our growth into the future, we looked again at what’s happening for our target audiences and the cultural tensions they’re experiencing, then looked at what Tassie and our community can uniquely offer that makes those people feel more human, more connected. A lot of places offer great food and experiences. From a traveller’s perspective, what makes Tassie distinctive is the space and place to disconnect from their pressures and reconnect with what’s important to them. Come Down for Air is about harnessing the power of place and our people, and placing travellers in that moment of calm. It’s a natural progression. I feel like we’ve reimagined the destination marketing category again, just as we did with Go Behind the Scenery.

How can industry operators use this new brand platform?

The value is not in using the tagline or creative expression we’ve created – that’s the role of Tourism Tasmania. The brand is more than the tagline. It’s a platform for what makes Tasmania a distinctive destination and the opportunity for industry lies in tapping into those audience needs and telling their own brand-aligned stories and delivering brandaligned experiences. Everyone has a distinctive offering and the key is understanding what kind of “air” your customers are seeking – it could be kayaking, or exploring a gallery, or going to a festival, or doing a walk or just enjoying some great produce. You can use these insights to build your own voice and tell your own stories that bring the brand to life. The brand is more than the tagline. It’s a platform for what makes Tasmania a distinctive destination and the opportunity for industry lies in tapping into those audience needs and telling their own brandaligned stories and delivering brandaligned experiences. Everyone has a distinctive offering and the key is understanding what kind of “air” your customers are seeking.

Stuart Gibson

The travellers we’re targeting want to know why you’re here and what you offer, and they want the powerful emotional connections you can help them make to Tasmania. We’ve kicked off a webinar series for industry operators to help deepen your understanding of the brand and how you can leverage it in your business. We’re also working on a workshop and toolkit to help you develop your own stories inspired by the brand. We’ll be hitting the road with Regional Tourism Organisations in early 2020, so stay tuned for more information in the New Year.

How does Come Down for Air dovetail with Brand Tasmania’s work?

We’re fundamentally working off the same brand narrative. The two were built in parallel so that we have a consistent and powerful foundation. Tourism Tasmania’s remit is to translate this into a proposition for our visitor audiences and to bring Tasmania to life as a compelling destination to visit. Brand Tasmania’s remit is to provide a platform for all of Tasmania to use. We’ve been working closely with Brand Tasmania to ensure the work of both organisations is nicely aligned.

Stuart Gibson

What’s the lifespan of Come Down for Air?

As a tourism body we understand the power of brand, and we know brandbuilding isn’t a quick exercise. Consistency is really important. I believe Come Down for Air has great flexibility and longevity and we’ll be building on this platform for some time. We’ve got to be smart and play the long game. That’s really important in effective marketing for us and for what we’d like to achieve for Tasmania into the future.