The Great Ocean Road’s latest tourism campaign has launched with a rallying anthem and integrated campaign, activating the voices and stories of local operators thanks to SAFARI.
The ‘Greatopia’ campaign was developed by adventure, tourism and lifestyle content production company, SAFARI. And will roll out in a screen-led media strategy across TV, digital, OOH and social.
The rousing integrated campaign is both a call to action, and a call to meander, raising awareness of all the great places to stop at and things to do along the famously scenic drive. One of Australia’s most famous tourist destinations, the Great Ocean Road brings together the surf coast from Torquay with the river at Anglesea, the bushland at Lorne and the towering Californian Redwoods of Otway.
Extending all the way to the South Australian border, the campaign is set amongst over 400km of captivating coastlines, with pristine forests, volcanic plains, sumptuous seafood and friendly locals.
The campaign was shot by SAFARI in mid-2021, across 3 months and multiple COVID lockdowns. With footage captured right across the region, the campaign launches off the back of the ‘Greatopia Anthem’, but extends to tailored anthems and poems for the different shires along the Great Ocean Road, with an extensive Content Assetbank developed by SAFARI’s photography and cinematography team.
“While utopia is usually an imagined place. ‘Greatopia’, however, is a very real and perfect place. The campaign showcases the unique iconic landscapes of the region, a celebration of why we live in utopia, down along the Great Ocean Road,” says Liz Price, general manager of Great Ocean Road Tourism Limited.
“You can’t be too destination focused when travelling the Great Ocean Road, or you might miss out. Its magic lies within each journey and the people, food, drinks and adventure along the way. We want to challenge visitors to seek beyond the usual haunts and discover so much more within Mother Nature, from the petrified forests, blowholes, volcanic lakes and craters,” adds Liz Price.
The Great Ocean Road is already renowned as a magnificent drive, but nestled in its hills, glades, glens and shores are a trove of secrets that the locals can’t wait to share. The campaign features many of the locals captured doing what they do best – enjoying their perfect slice of Greatopia.
“We believed it was essential to the authenticity of the campaign to use real operators and coastal characters, not actors or fly-ins. And it was an honour to unlock so many new and incredible experiences and locations across the shoot,” said Andrew Englisch, cinematographer and partner at SAFARI.
SAFARI Director, Nigel Camilleri added “When you really understand the sense of pride amongst the locals, who truly believe they live in the best region of Australia, then the creation of the Greatopia campaign made perfect sense. And this was especially relevant in a time of reflection after the last two years and the momentum to embrace sea, tree and regional changes and experiences.”
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Creative & Production: Safari
Creative Team: Andrew Englisch, Nigel Camilleri, Alex Wadelton, Terry Mann
Creative Strategy: Chris Jeffares
DOP: Hamish Pattison
Photography: Andrew Englisch, Jaclyn Gittus & Michael Peters
Producer: Nigel Camilleri
Production Managers: Jaclyn Gittus & Jessica Watts
Casting: Safari Talent
Post Production: Safari
Music composition: Terry Mann
Media: Ed Wright (X Marketing)
PR: The Buzz Group
Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Board
General Manager: Liz Price
Marketing: Lee Malady & Jo Birley
Digital Marketing: Julia Delgado
