Discover Tasmania's Winter Wonderland: The Marketing Brilliance of the Off-Season Campaign
Winter in Tasmania. It’s usually synonymous with cold, dark nights, months of hibernation, and complex carbs. But that perspective is shifting. In this blog we’ll dive into the genius behind Tasmania's Off-Season Campaign and how it's turned the winter scene in Hobart into a bucket-list worthy experience.
Born out of the want - and need - to galvanise an industry, Tourism Tasmania’s Off-Season campaign is in its third year running, and continues to excite and encourage everyone in a shared vision for the winter season.
Extensive research revealed that “people simply paused over the winter months waiting for it to be over. It was a season to be endured rather than embraced.” - Chief Marketing Officer Lindene Cleary on Talking Tourism.
Tourism Tasmania saw this as an opportunity to create change in how Australians view winter - to see it as a season to champion rather than escape.
Enter: the Off-Season Campaign, a glimpse into the untamed magic of Tasmania.
Video Credit: Tourism Tasmania
I. Embracing Winter’s Best
‘Off-Season’ heroes the best that winter in Tasmania has to offer. When other cities slumber, Tasmania springs to life:
Tasmania only gets more Tasmanian in the winter. It’s the season when things get wild, weird and wonderful. The dark gets darker. The oysters are sweeter. The whisky pours get a little longer. We revel. We create. We light fires and dance around them. We feast. We shout and wassail and sing.
— Press Release, Tourism Tasmania
Picture yourself indulging in delicious oysters sourced from the pristine Tasmanian waters, or embarking on breathtaking winter treks through snow-covered landscapes. Tasmania’s winter presents a different side of the island, one that is filled with beauty, tranquility, and of course, fresh air.
II. From Tasmania to the World.
Now in its third successful year, results from the ‘Off-Seaso’n campaign speak for themselves, with a:
82% rise in visitors
102% rise in nights spent, and
129% rise in spend rate
since pre-Covid times.
But that’s not all. The Off-Season Campaign is steadily making its way global, attracting attention from travellers around the world. Through collaboration with airlines, Broadsheet, and other various media outlets, the campaign has transformed the Hobart winter scene into a magnetic and vibrant spectacle worthy of any avid traveller’s bucket-list.
III. The Tassie Tux
The 'Tassie Tux' campaign, in collaboration with P.E. Nation, encouraged Australians to embrace the wild revelry of Tasmania as their preferred winter holiday destination.
The campaign featured a limited-edition black puffer jacket/vest known as the 'Tassie Tux,' symbolising the island state's unofficial uniform. The campaign launch included a sky-high 'Black Tie' event, where guests received the Tassie Tux and enjoyed unique Tasmanian entertainment and refreshments. Immersive visits by influencers and media ensured the capture and amplification of Tasmania's destination content.
The campaign yielded remarkable results, reaching a potential audience of more than 47m, with influencer content generating $359k in earned value, and more than 250 social posts reaching 6.5m.
A Virgin Australia social competition clocked up 40k visits and 23k unique entries, with organic content reaching 102k on VA’s Instagram.
Screenshot taken of @wbywhitewolfe’s Instagram.
The collaboration between Virgin Australia and P.E. Nation saw Virgin Australia’s bookings for inbound passengers to Tasmania soar 229% above target, flight searches increase 118% over the prior three-month period and multi-touch return on ad spend (ROAS) grow 28% over the prior quarter.
— Havas Blvd,
IV. Turning it On in the Off-Season
Tasmania's Off-Season Campaign stands as a shining example of the marketing brilliance that can be achieved through creativity and innovation. It has turned Tasmania's winter into a season of exploration, adventure, and unforgettable experiences.
Tasmania’s Dark Mofo, Winter Feast.
As we delve into the depths of this exceptional campaign, we are reminded that every cycle in business is an opportunity.
In marketing, as in nature, there's no off season.
There's only a wealth of untapped potential, waiting for the right narrative to bring it to life.
Need help with creative storytelling and innovation in your business’ off-season? Let’s chat!
