Little do many know that the Top End is known for having some of the best fishing in the world. Annually, over 40,000 fishermen – or ‘fishos’– flock to the region in search for its famous barramundi.

With fishing being a popular pastime both internationally and locally, and with Tourism NT’s 50+ demographic in mind, it made perfect sense to target the humble fisho.

Every fisho wants to catch the big one – why not raise the odds and encourage fishermen to catch a whopper indeed - a barramundi worth one million dollars!

A barramundi worth $1million was tagged and released in Top End waters to add a sense of urgency and encourage fishos to ‘Do the NT’ immediately. To further incentivise visitation, 75 barramundi were tagged with $10,000 prize tags.

Timing of the campaign was strategically selected to maximise low season visitation and capitalise on fishing build-up and run-off seasons.

In the lead up, PR created buzz and drove traffic to a microsite, where consumers could register for the campaign, and where a bespoke ‘Fish and Win’ game gave visitors tips and pointers to plan their trip.

The campaign made national and international headlines, with PR continuing over the entire campaign period. Every fish caught (and missed) presented a different story to tell; news coverage of the winners helped keep momentum going and social media chatter spiked with each win, creating ongoing talkability.

For additional support, Tourism NT enlisted Matt Hayden – high profile former Australian cricketer and passionate fisho, who shared his fishing tips with media and million-strong social media following. As well as this, Tourism NT also commissioned a Million Dollar Fish theme song, giving the promotion a unique sound.

The campaign was supported by eDMs, online advertising and social spend, as well as relevant brand partnerships.

While earned and social media resulted in a combined reach exceeding 71 million, more importantly, the campaign created real impact for the local tourism industry and generated approximately $9.2 million for the local economy.

MDF received over 40,000 registrations– 33% over target.

Statistics from ‘Fish and Win’ demonstrated that brand consideration increased; 47% of players considered visiting the NT after playing.

59% of fishing tour operators and 65% of fishing retailers said the campaign had a positive effect on their business. Even boat ramp behaviour changed – operators commented that fishos would discuss MDF ‘rules’ of who would win if the fish was caught.

Top End fishing visits grew by 186% with 20,000 overnight stays for the period. The Top End region also saw general holiday visits grow by 86% with 82,000 overnight stays.

And of course, some very happy fishos went home with a catch of the day indeed.