Contiki has launched a new brand platform and micro-drama series developed with Publicis Australia and Havas Media, as the travel company rolls out the biggest transformation in its more than 60-year history.
The new platform, GO WANDER, was announced in Sydney yesterday, with On Contiki leading the campaign through a social-first micro-drama directed by AACTA Award-winning filmmaker Gracie Otto.
Set in Costa Rica, the series follows four young travellers through adventure, friendship and self-discovery, using vertical storytelling to bring the brand’s new positioning to life.
Developed over 18 months with Publicis Australia and Havas Media, GO WANDER extends beyond a traditional brand refresh, spanning product design, pricing, customer experience, digital and communications.
The transformation introduces eight new experience-led Travel Worlds and 76 new or reimagined trips, alongside expanded itineraries across Asia, Africa and the Americas and new destinations including Fiji and the Maldives.
The Travel Worlds cater to different travel styles and motivations, from small-group cultural experiences and outdoor adventures to budget-conscious trips, festivals and more elevated travel.
The micro-drama reflects the campaign’s entertainment-first approach, with Contiki looking to reach younger travellers through social formats that blend brand storytelling with entertainment.
The wider rollout spans earned, social and experiential channels, including a creator program developed with Influential and an earned-first communications strategy led by HERD MSL. Havas Media is overseeing the integrated media strategy, with TikTok and Google partnerships also forming part of the launch.
Toni Ambler, managing director of The Travel Corporation Oceania and chief customer officer at Contiki, said GO WANDER was designed to build on the brand’s heritage while responding to how younger generations approach travel.
“GO WANDER is a reinvention of Contiki, inspired by the pioneering spirit that’s been part of our story from the start and reimagined for a new generation of young travellers,” Ambler said.
“With 76 new or reimagined trips, eight new travel worlds built around personal interests, and more ways to travel, we’re giving young people the freedom and choice to explore the world on their own terms.”
Simone Waugh, managing director of Publicis Australia, said the work brought business and brand strategy together, informing everything from trip design to the customer’s digital journey and how the brand communicates.
“We identified how the next generation of travellers wants to explore the world, informed trip and experience design, redesigned the digital journey through to purchase, and repositioned the brand and how it shows up in the world through an entertainment-first approach,” Waugh said.
Kate O’Ryan-Roeder, CEO of Havas Media Australia and New Zealand, said the media strategy was designed to connect with young travellers through cultural relevance, entertainment and strategic partnerships.
GO WANDER is live from today, with On Contiki marking the first major expression of the brand’s new entertainment-led approach.
Credits
Directed by Gracie Otto and Produced by DIVISION
Client: Contiki
Chief Customer Officer: Toni Ambler
Senior Global Creative Content Manager: Jayesh Kesry
Director of Acquisition & Retention: Maria Parisi
Product Development Director: Taryn Welsh
Head of Brand: Tom O’Hara
Senior Marketing Manager: Suzie Hill
Agency: Publicis Australia
Managing Director: Simone Waugh
Executive Creative Director: Ryan Petie
Executive Producer: Natalie Mitchell
Producer: Britt Groom
Copywriter: Meg Jenkins
Art Director: Josh Gilsenan
Strategic Director: Swati Shivshankar
Client Partner : Celeste Toffanello
Account Director: Hannah King
Account Executive: Zerina Velic
Produced by DIVISION
Director: Gracie Otto
MD | Executive Producer: Genevieve Triquet
Executive Producer: Lib Kelly
Producer: Alex ‘Cooki’ Cook
DOP: Alexander Alexandrov
Costume Designer: Molly Scott
1st AD: Nikki Long
Stills Photo: Amanda Fordyce
Script Producer: Hannah Reilly
Writer: Monique Terry
Writer: Hannah-Rae Meegan
Writer: Zaity Salman
Facility Company: Reelax Media
Executive Producer: Gustavo Jiménez
Line Producer: Roger Hidalgo
Production Manager: Alejandro Jiménez
Steadicam: William Walsh
Gaffer: Roberto Valerio
Sound Engineer: Erick Vargas
B Camera: Andrés Chinchilla
Production Designer: Paula Devita
Costume Designer: Alejandro Freer
Hair and Make Up Designer: Valerie Rodriguez
Canadian Casting: Andrew Deiters at Ground Glass Casting
Costa Rica Casting: Jat Azofeifa R. at The One Artist Agency
Talent Coordinator: Maria Quirós
DG OP: Mario Gomez
Content Creator: Jimena Salas
Picture Cars: Oscar Jimenez
OFFLINE
Offline Editors: Adam Wills & Andrew Hawksford
ONLINE
Online: Prodigious
Executive Producer: Abby Hunt
Online: AJ Scarcella
Colourist: Wesley Grant
Sound House: Mosaic Sound
Head of Creative: Adam Moses
Executive Producer: William Doig
Senior Sound Designer: Michael Thomas
Producer: Madeline Wilkinson
CAST
Mia Parsonage (“Lucy”)
Kairavi Desai (“Claudia”)
Arcadius Fimone (“Samir”)
Kristian Leonard (“Joe”)
Shanice Wilson (“Nico”)
