Tourism Midwest Victoria is making a play to redefine how visitors perceive the region with its latest tourism campaign, Brilliantly Unexpected.
Supported by a brand strategy which has been led by the Tourism Midwest Victoria Marketing Team, the new identity and tourism campaign showcases Ballarat and its surrounds in a bold new light by revealing the unique experiences that help make the region stand apart from other destinations.
Central to the establishment of the brand strategy, identity and campaign, which was developed in collaboration with branding specialists Us+Us and creative agency Einwick, was engagement with skills-based representatives from the region’s tourism industry.
The multi-channel campaign, which will be in-market from Thursday 7 November, has been designed for long-term activation to inspire, motivate, and challenge people to see the region with fresh eyes.
The first iteration of campaign assets leverage popular experiences, including Sovereign Hill’s Quartz Mine, night-time ghost hunts by Eerie Tours, Flamenco evenings at Meigas, gin tasting at Itinerant Spirits, a showcase of culinary artistry through Babae, a slower pace of living on the historic Mooramong Estate and remote cellar door tastings in the Pyrenees.
Tourism Midwest Victoria’s Marketing Team, which was earlier this month shortlisted for Marketing Team of the Year in the 2024 Mumbrella Travel Marketing Awards, will activate the campaign through strategic investment in high-reach communications channels to deliver on its campaign objective to drive preference for Ballarat and disperse visitors into all corners of the broader region.
The team will target mass audiences through media placements including broadcast video on demand (BVOD), out of home advertising (OOH), print advertising, Spotify, and social media, alongside earned media and partnerships with online media providers.
The team will also work with Chinese and Indian media platforms to reach culturally and linguistically diverse audiences.
This will coincide with an activation at Melbourne Central on 7-8 November and an extensive famils program which will see more than 17 journalists, writers and influencers converge on the region over the weekend of 23-24 November.
A new-look visitballarat.com.au has also been unveiled, with an improved user experience set to make planning a visit to the region even easier.
To feature on the website, tourism operators and event organisers are encouraged to list their businesses and events on the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW).
The launch of this new brand strategy and tourism campaign delivers on the vision of the 2024-2033 Sustainable Destination Management Plan – a nine-year roadmap that outlines tactics to transform the region into a compelling destination that inspires visitors to stay longer, spend more and love the region as much as the locals do.
By 2033, Midwest Victoria is expected to welcome 4.5 million visitors to the region who contribute $1.6 billion to the local economy.
Quote attributable to Tourism Midwest Victoria Chair Hon. John Pandazopoulos
“Our region is an unexpected and harmonious blend of everything and anything – it’s historic but full of modern energy, expressive, quirky, and diverse, and it’s these collective traits that make the region special.
Our goal over the next 10 years is to enhance the appeal and allure of the region and we feel this brand strategy and campaign has what it takes to show potential new visitors that every time they step into our region, they’ll encounter a vibrant, welcoming and ever-changing destination that will challenge their preconceptions, and leave them surprised, uplifted, and inspired to return.
Focussing on the unexpected moments of a visit to our region that will have visitors talking about it to their friends and family for years to come, it’s a campaign that has been built with longevity in mind and breaks typical tourism marketing conventions.
The launch of this new campaign marks a significant first step towards delivering on our 10-year aspiration to increase the value of the visitor economy and establish the region as a compelling destination.”
Quote attributable to City of Ballarat CEO Evan King
“The new campaign, which highlights the region’s ‘Brilliantly Unexpected’ experiences, will play an important role in strengthening Ballarat’s reputation as a destination of choice.
It certainly has the potential to inspire visitors to love our region as much as we do.
The tourism industry delivers 2.8 million domestic visitors to Ballarat and generates more than $809 million into our local economy annually.
We look forward to supporting Tourism Midwest Victoria to help guide the city’s visitor economy over the next ten years through the 2024-2033 Ballarat Local Area Plan.”