“The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
I have loved my opportunities to seek something new. It’s a gift that I can give myself. More often than not, it’s only upon reflection of where I have been that I can truly appreciate what it meant to me. As a storyteller by passion and by trade, this is a core value for me. So with that in mind, here are some tourism campaigns that took a shot at activating that incessant beating in your chest to get out and explore.
Discover Ireland
This campaign for Discover Ireland went straight at the idea of filling your heart with experiences. I appreciate that they went a step further with data by measuring heart rate increases that happen when experiencing something new.
https://www.discoverireland.ie
Travel Oregon
I have been a fan of Travel Oregon for years. I have a personal connection to it having formerly worked at the creative agency who has been the AOR for Travel Oregon for over 30 years. (W+K) Oregon got a reputation for being quirky a long time ago. There are countless reasons that quirky-ness developed, but it’s this stereotype that this campaign goes right after with a talking fish. Every year these Oregon campaigns go straight after the truth about what the state is about and has to offer.
https://traveloregon.com
Graubünden Tourismus
Do something unexpected. Graubünden Tourismus, a Dutch travel org, has used some tech in an expected way to capture potential traveler attention. I really like that it activates so many aspects that are primal to our thinking. Re-imagining what a kiosk can do, live interaction/entertainment, rewarding for taking a risk, and the payoff…creating an experience for people that they will talk about with others.
https://www.graubuenden.ch/en
Tourism Australia
Now this one is just candy. An excellent use of budget for talent to allow Americans to think of Australia as a possible place to explore and vacation. A reality that has been cost prohibitive up until recently. Again, working off of stereotypes of what Americans generally know about Aus, and updating some new info as well. Of course this was a Super Bowl ad. But, sometimes you have great talent living in your backyard that might be getting overlooked.
Make it Count
One of my favorite travel videos is this one by Casey Neistat. Actually, Casey does a lot of travel videos. He will review airlines thoroughly, like this one about the most expensive purchase-able seat in the world.
Emirates Greatest airplane seat - 36,677,774 views
This Make it Count video is chock full of aspiration on every frame. For me, this video hits a mark that I can identify with. Probably because a lot of my own travel has been like this. There are so many great campaigns out there for tourism and travel. A trillion dollar industry with everyone looking for you to choose to spend your time and money at in their country, state, town or hot spring. So get out there and live a great story.