As a destination, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) poses both real and perceptual barriers of distance, time and cost. NL Tourism needed to emotionally connect with its audience (Ontario) to show NL as the answer to peoples’ vacation needs: a unique place well worth an extra hour of air travel.

We decided to target people in the capital city of Toronto, at a time when they’re in a high state of readiness to escape smog and humidity. With a relatively small budget, we wanted to make a big impact by offering an interactive taste of NL that would generate publicity and buzz throughout Toronto and beyond.

We devised ways to tangibly bring NL’s fresh air, beautiful environment, and creativity to Toronto. We captured imaginations by erecting a giant open window billboard to NL, which was gradually hand painted; we circulated stop-motion video; and we sent a NL ambassador to offer free, filtered air taxi rides to pedestrians.

NL Tourism’s messaging began in Toronto and flew out across Canada and the world. Publicity, spanning TV, print, radio, and online, was 100% positive and through the roof, generating three times the ROI and boosting travel inquiries by almost 30%.

It began with a touch of mystery.June 25th, 2008, we anonymously erected a giant blank ‘canvas’ above a highway in Toronto. An artist then hoisted himself up and began painting the ‘billboard’ by hand, a rooftop camera crew began shooting, and buzz began circulating.

We officially ‘opened’ the Fresh Air window on July 14, 2008 and distributed a multimedia press release including an eye-catching stop-motion video, which we also circulated virally.

Two weeks later, after nationwide publicity, we outfitted a taxicab – running on natural gas and filtering fresh air – with all the comforts of NL. Our driver and ambassador offered free cab rides and an authentic taste of NL’s world-famous hospitality in the Get Carried Away vehicle for three weeks, giving a one-on-one experience to weary pedestrians in downtown Toronto.That’s when publicity really shot through the roof.

Before the Fresh Air campaign began, we optimistically aimed to generate $1 million in free publicity. Following the campaign, the value was actually closer to approximately $1.5 million – three times the ROI. Research showed the number of individual media impressions started at 25 million.

Travel inquiries to Newfoundland and Labrador went up by almost 30% in June and July.The national news wire service also used our multimedia press release of the Fresh Air window as a model to promote a brand new form of interactive social media (press) release: http://smr.newswire.ca/en/nfld-tourism/newfoundland-and-labrador-opens-giant-window-to-fresh-air-in-toronto.

As planned – and outlined in the attached press clippings – we received coverage for every step of the campaign, and it was all incredibly positive.

The Fresh Air Campaign generated huge anecdotal buzz, making national TV, national newspaper, regional radio, and online coverage across the world.