2020 has been a devastating year for the international tourism industry. The pandemic has

closed international borders and tourism as we know it is on hold. With New Zealand the #1

outbound destination for Aussie travellers, we had a very real responsibility to keep travellers connected to our people and place while international borders remained closed.

Pre Covid, we also faced a unique challenge. The 100% Pure New Zealand brand was facing increasing pressure from up-and-coming destinations such as Japan, and the locally trending options like South Australia and Tasmania which were quickly rising on

travellers’ preference lists.

We had to defend our #1 position, increase brand preference and keep New Zealand top of mind in a locked down world.

To secure earned media attention, we marketed the entire country like a video game.

We created the world’s first real-world gaming walkthrough, inviting people to explore New Zealand’s greatest attractions by “gamifying” the country in a completely new way.

Our content created an open-world experience through the eyes of avatar ‘Skip Hogan’, as he traverses the North Island’s Rotorua while being guided by the voice of actor Julian Dennison, from Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Deadpool 2. Skip faces a series of challenges, unlocked through encounters with welcoming locals, from mountain biking through the Redwoods Forest, to whitewater rafting down Okere Falls, before coming face-to-face with TikTok sensation William Waiirua in a dance-off.

PLAY NZ would not be complete without a live gamer walkthrough from Australian gaming heavyweight Loserfruit (aka Kathleen Belsten). She "plays" the country, earning points through each challenge and interaction.

Already the #1 form of digital entertainment in Australia, lockdown saw gaming and game-streaming skyrocket by 75%**. Our research also showed that gamers have much in common with travellers – exploration, connection, adventure.

We set out to leverage this by addressing gamers in their context while inviting them to engage with New Zealand in a new way.

Our PR strategy was simple; disrupt traditional travel storytelling and audience perceptions by talking about travel through the guise of gaming. This allowed us to target niche gaming, travel and mainstream media targets.

The campaign launched with an interactive event, where invited media and consumers joined live via streaming platform and partner Twitch. There our gaming influencer, Loserfruit, shared a live walkthrough of her experience of the “game”. Thousands watched for over an hour to experience this world-first tourism experience.

** Verizon, US 2020

To achieve this we partnered with Twitch, and Australian gaming heavyweight Loserfruit. She teased the content on her social platforms prelaunch, then "played" the country live to her 4.7 million-strong audience.

The 9-minute “gamer walkthrough” was housed on YouTube and showcased unique experiences that set New Zealand apart from other destinations, sharing New Zealand’s culture, people and places.

We continued to mimic a real game launch, using game teasers and trailers, digital banners and in-app ads in gaming media channels featuring real gamers’ reviews.

The campaign garnered a wealth of PR interest across online gaming publications, as well as mainstream channels, such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok – engaging a broader demographic.

Not satisfied, we drove future travellers to the PLAYNZ immersive hub where they were met with 18x VR180° films aimed at inspiring future itineraries for when the borders officially reopen.

Intent to visit New Zealand post lockdown increased by +387%* and we maintained our #1 position as the preferred destination for Aussie travellers**.

Though the campaign is still live, we’ve already seen a shift in our brand metrics with a 53% lift in ad recall and 10% lift in favourability.

Campaign engagement is high; reaching over 100 million people. Our films already have over 15 million views.

PR coverage has a universally positive sentiment with 150+ unique earned articles.

The live Twitch launch reached thousands of die-hard gamers and our film has since reached over 3.5 million.

Finally, we’ve achieved an average website dwell time of over 9 minutes (280% above benchmark) and a 37% increase in user interaction on our website content.

*Facebook brand lift study vs. Asia Pacific uplift benchmark

**Tourism New Zealand AC monitor