An island on pause

After bushfires caused an abrupt halt to ‘Come Down for Air’, potentially tone-deaf in this context, the pandemic plunged Australia into lockdown. Tasmania effectively closed its borders to domestic travel, and with international borders closed for nearly two years, interstate visitors disappeared almost overnight.

And finally, a sharp drop in consumer confidence driven by rapidly rising interest rates meant financial uncertainty became the #1 barrier for not travelling.

A path to recovery

As the industry emerged from turbulence, Tourism Tasmania re-invested in significant campaign activity, capitalising on pent-up demand for travel.

We needed to disrupt the travel dreaming journey and tackle the ultimate challenge: attracting visitors in winter who’d rather hibernate until it’s over or thaw out in the warmth up-north.

Our strategy encouraged Aussies to embrace winter rather than escape it.

We unlocked a core truth about Tassie in winter. A bit weird and wild, a bit ‘off’. Winter is when Tasmania lets its hair down and idiosyncrasies truly shine. It’s sensory overload.

So we positioned Tasmania as the only place you could wake up this winter. Literally. Metaphorically.

Creative idea: The Off Season

Flipping tourism tropes with relish, capturing the creative spirit of Tasmania in a way that hadn’t been seen before. Standing out while still standing for the weird, wonderful and wintery destination we were selling:

Monochrome in a world of technicolour

Instead of typical picturesque vistas and warm colours, we upended tourism conventions, producing a bold campaign shot entirely in black-and-white, with a hint of neon. We weren’t capturing a location or attraction, but a feeling - employing a noted war photographer to curate a very distinct mood.

A culture brand, not a tourism brand

A destination now synonymous with art & culture, we showed up like a culture brand - fly-posters, billboards, hand-painted murals. A dedicated takeover of popular travel & lifestyle magazine ‘Broadsheet’. From Wim Hof breathing in icy water to pagan bonfires, we let local photographers loose, capturing real Tasmanians embracing the real spirit of winter.

Sensory immersion not seasonal distraction

The creative stimulated the senses of our audience:

A photographic style that turns on your senses - visceral, intimate, zoomed-in perspectives bringing the audience closer to the experiences.

Innovative platform enhancements, such as 3D audio with Spotify, surrounding our audience to feel like they were part of the winter experience

Turning bus shelters into works of art to escape the mundane realities of a commute

Cinema partnerships transported the audience into the Off Season, enveloping them and awakening their senses.

The campaign ignited interest in Tasmania, bolstering salience by over a third. We built 5-points of consideration, by cementing Tassie’s seasonal identity.

This delivered exceptional commercial returns, contributing significantly to drive visitation and spend back to pre-COVID levels.

Carving out a distinctive place in the winter travel market, The Off Season overcame unprecedented challenges to place Tasmania firmly on the path to recovery.