Carat Adelaide wins South Australian Tourism Commission account
The South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) has appointed Carat Adelaide to its media account following a pitch process against the incumbent, GroupM’s Wavemaker (WPP AUNZ).
Dentsu-owned Carat will now handle traditional, digital and performance media for SATC’s 2021/22 domestic marketing campaign.
SATC executive director of marketing, Brent Hill, told Mumbrella the pitch was completed between the two agencies after Wavemaker worked on the account for the past two years, while Carat had previously covered the commission’s international media buying.
“So, it was as you can imagine, a very tight process and close run between 2 fantastic agencies, but in the end the small differences between the two meant that we have gone with Carat. Both are local agencies who we know well and work well with,” he said.
“We want to acknowledge the fantastic work we have done with Wavemaker over the years, and look forward to working more closely with Carat.”
Carat will work to highlight the SATC’s ‘Rewards Wonder’ campaign, which has been created to encourage travel to South Australia as a destination that offers “a little bit more” for travellers.
The media agency worked with fellow Dentsu brands as part of the pitch process, including The Story Lad for ideation and with Isobar to activate programmatic display and video across Adobe.
Carat Adelaide managing director, Vikki Friscic, said the SATC’s domestic account is one of the most exciting in the local market.
“The Carat Adelaide and isobar teams are tremendously happy to be working with the South Australian Tourism Commission.
“The SATC Domestic account is one of the most prestigious and exciting accounts in the Adelaide market and we feel privileged to be a part of their amazing team.”
Hill said the latest campaign will be supported by press, outdoor, digital etc, and TV, plus tactical plays like a Virgin Australia flights sale.
“This just continues to build on the momentum we’ve seen since late last year, where Adelaide rose to 15th highest hotel occupancy in the world, and really strong rebound with locals particularly, and now Interstate and some NZ traffic starting to come in,” he said.
“The campaign hones in on the tourist and our unique locations – we think South Australia is perfect for those who want a little more from their travels. To go to places less explored, discover new adventures and maybe find something about themselves too while they travel.”
The SATC launched a content hub in 2020 with a goal of keeping South Australia top-of-mind for travellers, showcasing some of South Australia’s key tourism regions.
At the time, South Australian Premier, Steven Marshall said the campaign was important to help tourism businesses keep people in jobs.
“These are unprecedented times and they call for innovative solutions to help keep critical industries like tourism afloat,” Marshall said.
“The SATC has taken action to leverage those South Australian businesses that are finding practical ways to tackle this pandemic and help keep people in jobs, and to continue to promote our great state for when travel restrictions are lifted and the sector is ready to rebound.”
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Zanda Wilson was a reporter and podcast producer at Mumbrella, specialising in radio reporting. He left Mumbrella in September 2021.
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topics
Carat
Carat Adelaide
Dentsu
Group M
GroupM
SATC
South Australian Tourism Commission
Vikki Friscic
Wavemaker
