Sunshine Coast sings its own praises

By Hannah Edensor

Some cities have nailed the whole tourism thing with songs written purely about their appeal; think Sinatra’s ‘New York New York’ or Peter Allen’s ‘I Go To Rio’. Well now the Sunshine Coast is hoping to follow suit.

Visit Sunshine Coast has launched a new destination marketing campaign called ‘Come to Life’, which builds on the region’s ‘naturally refreshing’ branding.

The new brand campaign comes with its own TV ads, photography, social media and print strategies, but most important is the song – written purely about the Sunny Coast – called ‘This Town’, written by Dan Horne.

A local musician and English ex-pat, Horne sings about how he fell in love with the Sunshine Coast, literally singing its praises. Get it?!

Horne, who is Visit Sunshine Coast’s first official Ambassador, created a special version of ‘This Town’ for the television commercial. The full song will appear on his new album, which is about to be released in his new home town, on the Sunshine Coast.

The visually-led campaign reflects the region’s five brand pillars: Contemporary beach culture; Wonders of nature; Innovative food and produce; Immersive encounters, and Exhilarating events.

You can watch the TV spot below, but to give you an idea, Horne’s music takes on styles similar to Xavier Rudd and John Butler Trio. A whole collection of shorter TV ads can be seen here.

The campaign will be rolled out from next week, initially to the drive market and then launched to interstate markets in March and April.

“It’s a great way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the naming of the Sunshine Coast,” said Visit Sunshine Coast CEO, Simon Latchford.

“The aim of the campaign is to emphasise our well known ‘naturally refreshing’ strengths, but also to highlight the incredible diversity of experiences available within the region. Beyond our enviable beach culture is one of Australia’s most renowned food scenes, a vast range of health and wellness activities, adventure experiences and a vibrant arts and cultural sector.

“What the campaign is saying is that a Sunshine Coast holiday allows visitors to ‘Come to Life’: to feel rejuvenated and refreshed. What we’re offering is a friendly, nurturing, down to earth destination that is genuine and fresh.

“There are many popular beach destinations along the East Coast, but few can offer such a diverse range of quality experiences that take in both beautiful coastal and dramatic hinterland landscapes.”

Latchford said that the Sunshine Coast had recorded its highest tourism figures for over a decade in 2016, and with the launch of the new campaign, the 50th anniversary celebrations, an exciting calendar of events and a record level of direct flights to Sunshine Coast Airport, he was confident that the region could break the all-time tourism record in 2017.

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