OpenTable, a neat little restaurant reservation website (and part of The Priceline Group), has today launched its first brand campaign in the market down under.

The campaign has been designed to showcase OpenTable’s simple and seamless reservation platform, where hungry hippos can search, find and book the “right table” at the restaurant with a simple tap of the thumb.

Using original illustrations, the campaign showcases tables not intended for dining, but set for this purpose in their natural settings.

Four unique situations, including a dog grooming table, a surfboard workshop, massage table and library, form the basis of the campaign visuals, humourously showcasing what can happen if you leave securing a restaurant table to chance. Playing on the humour of the situations, the creative is aimed at encouraging Australian diners to ‘next time, get the right table’.

Lisa Hasen, Vice President, APAC, for OpenTable said, “Our new campaign highlights how easy it is to make a booking through OpenTable. Whether you are dining out for a special occasion or a local weekday supper, finding the right restaurant table is key to making your meal a memorable experience.

“Through the OpenTable app and desktop site diners can search, discover and reserve the restaurant table that’s best for them.”

The Illustrations were commissioned from Tim Tomkinson, an award winning Illustrator whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, GQ and Rolling Stone.

The integrated campaign, across out-of-home, digital and influencer events, will run for four weeks from 31 October 2016. Out-of-home advertising will be showcased in prominent sites across Sydney and Melbourne, including Norton Street and South Darling Street in Sydney and Lonsdale Street in the CBD and St Kilda in Melbourne.

Street level and bus-side advertising will also be featured in Sydney. Digital versions of the creative will run across Time Out, Broadsheet, Instagram, and Facebook.

OpenTable will be the exclusive booking partner for the Broadsheet Restaurant in Sydney through to December 4 2016 and will be sponsoring a family-style dinner event on 22 November. OpenTable will also partner with TimeOut in Melbourne to host the TimeOut Chef Showdown event on 13 November where four up-and-coming chefs will present their take on locally-sourced ingredients for the chance to be voted winning chef of the night.

Hasen added, “Sydney and Melbourne are two of the world’s great dining cities. Not only do we have top home-grown talent but we are also seeing international chefs and restaurants bringing their offerings to Australia, recognising the potential of the market.

“We are excited to bring this campaign to life and continue to connect great restaurants with enthusiastic diners.”