Air New Zealand has launched a campaign to convince Australians considering a Kiwi holiday to cross the Tasman – by winning over four Australians with no desire to cross the ditch.
Much like P&O’s landlubber campaign, the carrier will see “Kiwi Sceptics” shown an “unexpected” side of New Zealand in an attempt to change their minds.
The campaign, Air NZ’s biggest in a decade in Australia, features four reality-style web-episodes.
“Research here tells us that there are 5.3 million people who seriously consider New Zealand as a destination, yet only one in five of these people actually make it across the ditch each year,” Air NZ marketing manager Australia Kerry Millier said. “We figured if we could change the minds of those most sceptical, we should be able to convince those who are sitting on the fence.”
Meanwhile, general manager Australia Cam Wallace said the sheer choice of destinations from Australia was the airline’s “biggest challenge”.
“Australia is a very cluttered market,” he told Travel Today. “There’s a whole range of airlines and destinations seeking to get business out of this market because it’s perceived to be relatively robust from an economy perspective.”
In addition, it was considered “relatively safe” by Australians, who put off visiting NZ in favour of more exotic destinations.
“It’s always going to be there,” Wallace said, adding that the current strength of the Australian dollar provided travellers with a further incentive to fly long haul.
He added that the airline’s challenge did not stop at simply persuading people to visit New Zealand – but do so on an Air NZ or Virgin Australia aircraft.
“For us, it’s about the conversion, making sure that all the people that say they want to come to NZ actually jump on a plane, but its also about making sure that the majority jump on an Air NZ or a Virgin Australia plane to get there,” he said.
To view the web-episodes click here (www.kiwisceptics.com).
