Tourism Australia marketing boss Lisa Ronson outlines strategy in first public address
New Tourism Australia chief marketer Lisa Ronson has pledged to develop the digital and social marketing focus started by her predecessor as she revealed that coastal scenery would become a central theme to the agency’s promotional activity.
In her first public address since taking over from Nick Baker last month, the former Westpac marketing boss said it was time to re-establish the strength and appeal of Australia’s aquatic and coastal areas.
Other destinations including California and Hawaii have closed the gap on Australia in terms of their coastal offering and it was time to step up the marketing of Australia’s beaches and ocean attractions.
Key to that has been Tourism Australia’s partial funding of a three-part documentary on the Great Barrier Reef narrated by iconic natural history presenter David Attenborough.
The collaboration with UK-based Atlantic Productions will see the wonders of the reef beamed into “hundreds of millions” of homes around the world, Ronson said.
After addressing TA’s inaugural Destination Australia conference in Sydney today, Ronson also told Mumbrella that digital marketing, a particular focus of Baker, would be further developed and used to help drive conversions, another of Tourism Australia’s key objectives in 2015.
Ronson acknowledged that destinations vying with Australia for the tourism dollar had picked up their game and closed the gap on Australia in their marketing of coastal attractions.
“Lots of competitors have woken up and are using their own aquatic and coastal assets to market themselves and that is appealing to consumers,” she told Mumbrella. “We sill have an advantage and are quite a way ahead but not as far as we might have been. We need to make sure we stay top of mind.
“It’s about reinforcing the message of what we have in Australia.”
The Great Barrier Reef, the third biggest draw for international tourists behind beaches and wildlife, will play a major role, she said.
Ronson added that the focus on food and wine through Restaurant Australia would continue, while luxury travel to attract high yielding visitors and events would also be woven into the agency’s 2015 marketing strategy.
Turning to digital marketing, Ronson said it would play a key role in converting consumer interest into bookings, a perennial issue for the tourism agency which is hampered by the twin problems of distance and expense.
Earlier, TA managing director John O’Sullivan told the conference said that while top of the holiday wish list among Chinese tourists, Australia was down in 10th place among destinations they actually visit.
“The aspiration is absolutely there and digital will play a big part in how we get consumers to convert and get them to make a decision to come here,” Ronson said.
“I am starting to form my thoughts [on how that is done] but I need a bit more time. But it’s about how we can provide a great customer experience.”
Ronson said her experience across a range of industries will serve her well in tourism, as will the banking sector’s sophistication in the digital arena.
“Tourism is a great industry. It’s exciting and dynamic and innovative and a rapidly changing environment, so it’s similar to banking in that regard.
“With the dramatic shift to mobile in the banking sector we went [at Westpac] from digital first to mobile first very quickly and the shift and adoption of mobile has been extraordinary.
“There is still a lot of opportunity in that area. The game is changing all the time and we need to get ahead of the game and utilise all our assets to make it easier for customers who are a long way away.”
Ronson added that putting the customer first was vital across all industries.
“I have worked in a diverse range of industries so I am a strong consumer and business marketer and if you understand the consumer and put them at the heart of your decisions you can succeed in any industry,” she said.
“They are not fundamentally different consumers whether they are banking or going on holiday.”
Steve Jones
Mumbrella is hosting a one day Travel Marketing Summit which takes place in Sydney on Wednesday April 22.
As this is about Australia a strong call to action is key to a successful campaign.
For the Great Barrier Reef I therefor suggest an Aussie classic that never gets old, or boring, or annoying: “Hurry, limited time only”.
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More kangaroos
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Good luck in the new role Lisa.
Nick has tough shoes to fill but I’m sure you’re up to it.
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Just a thought….if the digital experience is too good, will that actually mean that people won’t want to come because they’ve already experienced it “virtually”?
People are able to live so many aspects of their lives vicariously through smartphone technology, why not vacations?
Total Recall anyone?
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Oh God help us!
It’s a ‘Paddy Air Raid Siren I hear!’
Take cover from the imminent barrage of name-dropping, bizarre nicknames we are supposed to know and the comprehensive career resume updates.
This man will do anything to bomb you into submission and buy his rego plates.
LOL!
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@Toothpaste… fantastic work, I hang for your Paddy responses!
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Hey toothpaste salesman, do you do brushes as well?
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@toothpaste @Dr Zaius come out from behind your bizarre nicknames and let’s trade barbs face to face…..
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And I don’t give a flying @#$% whether you buy my plates or not because plenty of other people already are thanks.
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Hi Paddy,
Sorry, I’m to busy conferring with Bonzo (Maxus, 1998) and Jezza (UM, 1990).
Cheers
Dr Z
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For pity’s sake! Bonzo and Jezza, break off and give us air cover! We’re being Paddy-Bombed back to the Stone Age here!
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Sorry Dr Z, I’m none the wiser – never heard of any of you!
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Would the person(s) who have hacked into my mumbrella feed please stop immediately! This is damaging my personal brand and I may have to take legal action to prevent it continuing.
Thank you.
Paddy
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@The real Paddy
If that is really the case. Go get em.
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Top of the wish list but 10th in actual visitations? There’s a trap here for beginners dealing with the Chinese. When Chinese make lists they put the preferred option at the bottom, say number 10, and the least preferred option at the top – numer one. A cultural thing to be aware of – particularly in reseach. We recently blasted a fundraisng campaign to a mainly Chinese target, with a list of 10 giving amount options. We put the smallest amount at the top decreasing down to $2,000. It’s a subtle thing that can yeild excellent results. Hope that helps.
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While NZ branded its tourism image as Purity, European countries went for culture, the US went for multi possibilities, what AU is going to position itself uniquely in the market? There’s nothing like Australia defo need to change to something more interactive.
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