Tourism Australia has spoken of the pressure it faced while creating the latest phase of its There’s Nothing Like Australia campaign, as it conceded the ads have received a mixed response since their release.
Speaking at the Mumbrella 360 conference this morning in Sydney, executive general manager marketing Nick Baker admitted it had faced criticism from Australians via various internet forums since unveiling the campaign in Shanghai on Monday.
He claimed a key dilemma was that Aussies were keen to be depicted as “modern and sophisticated”, while overseas markets wanted to see them as “matey and laidback”.
“There’s a lot of pressure to get the mix right,” he said, adding the marketing body’s main aim was to “do the country justice”.
He rejected criticisms the campaign’s second wave overlooks tourists on a lower budget, insisting all of the experiences featured in the crusade were accessible by people of all means.
“The aim was to create a halo effect putting out the best of Australia,” he told delegates. “Travellers can then go to these places and choose to spend this much or that much – that’s one of the extraordinary things about this campaign.”
He also denied its focus on premium brands and experiences neglected the value-focus of many Chinese travellers.
“The Chinese spend is going up,” he insisted. “A lot of the Chinese market are now spending a lot more than other markets around the world.”
Baker was confident the campaign would resonate well in China due to extensive testing undertaken in the market prior to its release.
He claimed initial feedback in China had been good, adding he was confident it would see the same success as its predecessor, which resulted in 90% of those who had seen it start to research a trip to Australia.
