Destination NSW launches new campaign showcasing Sydney’s ‘unexpected’
Destination NSW has launched a new campaign showcasing Sydney “like you’ve never felt” before, drawing inspiration from experiences you might only hear about from locals. Kathryn Illy, general manager of consumer marketing, gave Mumbrella an inside look.
The campaign hopes to show there is more to Sydney beyond the postcard attractions, as recent research from The Lab found that travellers think Sydney doesn’t have much else to offer: once they’ve seen the icons — the Harbour, the Opera House and the Bridge — there’s nothing else special about the city.
That’s what the latest iteration of Destination NSW’s ‘Feel New’ platform aims to change.
“Sydney has a more challenging brand consideration problem, so to speak, versus New South Wales, which is why we’re starting with the city,” Illy told Mumbrella. “We’re currently ranked third for consideration behind the Gold Coast and Melbourne, so the purpose and intent of this campaign is obviously to increase us up to number one, but also to show this other side of Sydney that you may not know.”
According to the research, 79% of Australian travellers have been to Sydney and think they know the stories — the icons, the beaches, the harbour. But what they don’t know, according to Illy, is the “unexpected” — the different experiences that give travellers a more rounded look at Sydney.
“We are really tapping into that repeat visitor by providing them an unexpected side of Sydney that they may not have known,” she said.
The platform first launched in late 2021, and was designed to be a long-term platform. According to Illy, it has paid off as research has shown audiences who engage with the platform are more likely to book a trip or extend their stay, and as a result, have injected an additional $323 million into the NSW visitor economy.
“The aim of the campaign is brand appeal, brand awareness, reappraisal, but it’s equally pleasing to see brand campaigns have a direct impact on the visitor economy.”
The new campaign is drawing inspiration from the city’s vibrant culture — particularly as home to the largest Aboriginal population — and its natural landscapes. It’s this connection between culture and nature that Destination NSW hopes will make Sydney stand out.
“We’ve pulled away from the traditional destination marketing, so the creative is quite bold, it’s quite different, but most importantly, it’s very distinct. It’s purposefully designed to cut through the sea of sameness, and as I was saying about the unexpected, it’s very much designed to create intrigue,” Illy told Mumbrella.
An OOH execution
The campaign is targeting what Illy called “new experience seekers”, a market segment of 25-54 year olds who are seeking to do new things: “This is a very targeted, deliberately tailored campaign, specifically targeting that segment that we know want to travel in the next 12 months.”
The hero films follow protagonists who move through different experiences, and come out with “feelings they’ve never felt before”.
Destination NSW has also partnered with six influencers, or “Icons of Culture”, who bring a local voice to experiencing Sydney. Each of them has curated an itinerary to show travellers a fresh way to experience the city, which will be amplified across social content.
These include Olympian Jess Fox, comedic duo The Inspired Unemployed, ultra-marathon runner Nedd Brockmann, content creator Froomes (Lucinda Price), ARIA-award winning musician Budjerah, and chef Dan Hong.
“They’re all experts in their fields,” Illy said. “We’re tapping into sports, food, music… And again, we did that on purpose. We didn’t go for big celebrity heads, we’re tapped into and used these icons to bring a different level of texture and connection into a different side of Sydney.”
Destination NSW worked closely with its agency partners on the campaign including Leo Australia and OMD.
Leo Australia’s executive creative director, Tommy Cehak, said of the campaign: “In this latest evolution of the Feel New platform, we look beyond these icons to uncover the incredible collision of nature, culture and wellness that exists here unlike anywhere else.”
The campaign is live across TV, OOH, radio, digital, and social channels until the end of August.
Credits:
Client: Destination NSW
Creative: Leo Australia
Media: OMD
Web: Ogilvy
Film: Finch
Content capture: Rolla
Production: Photoplay
Post production: The Editors
Sound: Otis
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the agency beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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topics
Budjerah
Campaign
Destination NSW
Feel Good
Jess Fox
Kathryn Illy
Leo Australia
Nedd Brockmann
Sydney
Tommy Cehak
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