Tourism Australia Urges Aussies To Take An Epic Holiday In New $9m Campaign Via M&C Saatchi

The next phase of Tourism Australia’s ‘Holiday Here This Year’ has dropped, with ambassadors Hamish Blake and Zoe‐Foster Blake showcasing some of the country’s most epic holiday experiences.

Created by M&C Saatchi, the new $9 million ‘Epic Holidays’ campaign urges Aussies to travel further, book a longer stay, and enjoy the benefits of a bigger domestic holiday.

The campaign will be rolled out across a range of channels including TV, print, online, social media, content partnerships, search, radio, cinema and outdoor advertising.

There is also a new online quiz to assist Aussies in finding their perfect holiday match, and campaign assets are being made available to tourism industry professionals to use in their own marketing initiatives.

The campaign is also being supported by a range of key partners including Flight Centre, Travel Associates, Big Red Group and Klook.

Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said: “Australians typically spend more overseas than foreign tourists spend in Australia, so we want Australians to treat their domestic holiday this year like an overseas trip.

“The net impact of Australian tourist spending in Australia was a positive benefit to the economy of around $7.5 billion in the December quarter; and in 2019, holidays of five nights or longer contributed $31.8 billion to the economy.

“Every epic holiday that we take in our own backyard delivers a significant shot in the arm for our tourism businesses, workers and communities.”

Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison said the new campaign sought to encourage Australians to take the opportunity to book an epic holiday, especially when there had been limited opportunities to do so in the past year.

“This latest phase of our Holiday Here This Year campaign is focused on reminding Australians of some of the big adventures that can be had when exploring the many destinations, landscapes, and natural wonders that make Australia truly awe‐inspiring,” she said.

“With a backyard as vast as ours, Australians are spoilt for choice when it comes to epic destinations and holiday experiences. We have a reef so big you can see it from space, the world’s greatest rock formation, and mountain ranges that dominate over three states and more.

“To make the most of these epic holiday opportunities, we’re urging Australians to take a bigger break of five days or more and explore those parts of the country that are especially reliant on international visitors.

“Taking a longer break is not only good for our personal wellbeing but also for Australia and the many communities and businesses that rely on tourism.”

Cam Blackley, chief creative officer at M&C Saatchi, said: “While beloved big fibreglass things dot the Aussie landscape, we wanted people to reassess the experiences they can have in Australia; to view the hidden and not-so-hidden wonders we are surrounded by as the real ‘big things’ worth exploring.

“It’s epic, it’s magical and feels like a compelling reason to Holiday Here This Year.”

Campaign credits

Creative agency: M&C Saatchi

Chief creative officer: Cam Blackley

Executive creative director: Mandie van der Merwe

Associate creative directors: Dave Govier and Rosita Rawnsley-Mason

Senior copywriter: Allie Steel

Art directors: Nicole Yeoman and Sam Rowlands

Group head: Vanessa Boueyres

Senior account director: Nikki Chapman

Account director: Jeff Bradshaw

Account manager: Sean O’Shea

Senior project manager: Jemma Marriott

Chief strategy officer: Emily Taylor

Senior strategy director: Vanessa Graham

Head of content: Emma Parsons

Head of broadcast: Loren August

Associate executive producer: Henry Welch

Design director: Simone Cherry

Integrated designers: Ian Hartigan and Ryan Donnelly

Motion designer: Will Gembitsky

Retoucher: Richard Hughes

Production company: Finch

Director: Christopher Riggert

DOP: Sam Chiplin

Media agency: UM

Group strategy director: Jack Graham

Senior strategist: Alisha Imam

Senior client director: Lisa Hosking

Senior planning manager: Anthony Thomas

Planning manager: Ellie Reid

Integrated planner: Rahma El Sayed

PR agency: OPR

Chief creative officer: Bridget Jung

Design lead: Chad Edwards

Director: Alan Tanner

Account directors: Alex Pugliese, Ellee Donald and Zoe O’Sullivan

Senior account manager: Ellie Thomas

Senior account executive: Thomas Fogarty

Account executive: Emma Hill

Digital agency: Digitas

Senior account director: Max Cahill

Senior project manager: Jade Skinner

Senior account manager: Melissa Jones

Project manager: Raelene Loong

Design lead: Oliver Ree

Senior creative: Nick Duron

Copy director: Hannah Melanson

Head of data and analytics: Michael Daley

AEM lead: Stephen Smithstone

Senior data analyst: Brianna Taylor

Senior CX designer: Cliff Sandler

UI designer: Jae Park