Western Australia’s new global tourism brand, Walking On A Dream via The Brand Agency, is being showcased on London’s most prominent digital billboard in the high-traffic area of Piccadilly Circus, as the rollout of the brand to an international audience continues.
The week-long promotion of Tourism Western Australia’s Walking On A Dream brand commenced in the heart of London on Monday 30 January, with the highly-coveted advertising space in Piccadilly Circus creating a dreamlike portal into Western Australia.
Tourism WA managing director Carolyn Turnbull said the Walking On A Dream brand aimed to build awareness of, and drive consideration for, Western Australia as an aspirational destination in the minds of Tourism WA’s global target market, the high-yielding traveller.
“Walking On A Dream aims to elevate Western Australia as a world-class destination in today’s highly-competitive global travel marketplace,” Turnbull said.
The creative campaign includes the iconic ‘Piccadilly Lights’ showing the 60-second Walking On A Dream film on rotation, as well as spectacular imagery of some of the state’s top tourism destinations including Perth, Rottnest Island, the Kimberley and the Margaret River Region.
The WA showcase then concludes with a breathtaking 40-second ‘full-screen takeover’ that sees a 3D animation of Walking On A Dream’s iconic whale shark swimming out of the confines of the billboard and floating serenely in the air above the busy London hub.
On the morning of the launch, professional dancers brought the campaign to life on the streets below, with a series of performances reflecting the choreography featured in the Walking On A Dream brand film.
Meanwhile, a competition was held, giving passers-by the chance to win a ‘dream boarding pass’ to fly from London to Perth and experience their dream holiday in WA.
Two additional digital billboard sites – in the central business district of Canary Wharf and Kensington’s Holland Park – went live on the same day, shining a light on the stunning locations of the Boranup Forest and the Margaret River Region.
The high-impact advertising initiative throughout central London is supported by the WA Government as part of Tourism WA’s $2 million launch of the new global tourism brand in the state’s priority international markets, funded through the WA Government’s $195 million Reconnect WA package.
“The United Kingdom is a highly important inbound visitor market for WA, and recent research tells us that UK travellers consider Western Australia to be an exciting place that they have always dreamed of visiting,” Ms Turnbull said.
“We also know that UK travellers value comfort on long-haul flights to Australia, so it’s wonderful to be able to offer them a direct flight between London and Perth on our national carrier, Qantas, as we continue our efforts to affirm our state’s position as the Western Gateway to the nation.”
Prior to the pandemic, the UK travel market was Western Australia’s largest by number of arrivals, with more than 140,000 UK visitors spending an estimated $249 million in the state in 2019.
In November 2022, international arrivals were at 63 per cent of pre-COVID levels, the strongest for arrivals since WA’s border reopened, driven largely by the UK visitor market, which has returned to 95 per cent of its pre-COVID figure during this month.
Walking On A Dream was launched domestically in September last year, and since then has been launched in key international visitor markets including Indonesia, New Zealand, Singapore, and most recently in the United States, where one of Ningaloo’s gentle whale sharks floated high above Times Square on New Years’ Eve and on four impressive 3D billboards.
“Our New Year’s Eve Times Square activation was an incredible way to start the new year and launch Walking On A Dream to the US market, and we’re now following this up with a spectacular showcase to audiences in the UK,” Turnbull said.
“The intriguing scene of a majestic whale shark, serenely floating above the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly Circus in London’s West End on a chilly winter’s day, was the perfect way to command the viewer’s attention and encourage them to start dreaming of a summer holiday in WA.”
The Walking On A Dream UK brand launch in London is complemented by a series of campaigns currently in market, to inspire even more travellers, including working holiday makers, to visit Western Australia and turn their holiday dreams into reality.
