05 Nov 2008
Marketing Activities
The bright and colourful Whakatane visitor guide is about to be produced for the fourth time.
Produced in a compact and attractive format, Whakatane Your Guide is crammed full of photos and information about the area, its tourist attractions and accommodation.
It lists popular cafes, restaurants and bars as well as shopping facilities and services, and there’s interesting information about the region and its history, as well as a list of major events taking place in the area over the next year.
This time 60,000 copies of the guide will be printed and it will be distributed to information centres around the country and places like Auckland International Airport. It will be widely distributed around the Tauranga, Rotorua and Hawkes Bay areas, which have been identified as strong potential sources of visitors to Whakatane.
Advertisers get plenty of value out of the publication too, as their advertisements are repeated on the well-known Whakatane.com website.
Christmas Card
Where did the year go? Christmas is just around the corner and the Toi-EDA Christmas card has already been distributed with the Whakatane District Council rates notice. It’s produced with the aim of attracting more people to the Eastern Bay, and the aim is to get Eastern Bay of Plenty residents to contribute to the marketing effort by sending the cards to friends or relatives around the country or overseas. Fourteen thousand have been printed and anyone wanting extras can buy them from the Whaktane Information Centre. The card pictures a paddler facing the Whakatane harbour entrance, with Whale Island in the background.
Advertising investment pays off
Toi-EDA has had fantastic value from a modest investment of $10,000 in advertising campaigns in several leading publications.
The economic development agency has had particularly good results from this year’s follow up to the AA Travel 101 Must-Dos for Kiwis campaign. The aim of the 2008 campaign was to get more Kiwis excited about travelling in their own country – and Whakatane has definitely benefitted from the exposure.
A feature story about activities and businesses in the Whirinaki is on the AA travel website, while a travel and tour deal from White Island Tours is featured in the AA travel newsletter which goes to about 50,000 subscribers.
Advertising campaigns have also been run in the NZ Herald and the New Zealand Womens’ Weekly, and a feature on Ohope appeared in the newspaper’s “I Love You New Zealand” supplement on 16 September. Another story about the drive from Ohope to Opotiki has featured on the Herald website for four days during September. And three more stories were scheduled for October and November – giving the Eastern Bay of Plenty a major publicity boost.
“We’ve got back heaps for our investment,” says Manager Marketing and Economic Development Mary Hermanson. “We’re incredibly pleased with it, especially as our budget wasn’t big compared to what was available to larger areas. Whakatane also has a strong presence on the AA website.”
More Whakatane advertisements will appear in the Listener and NZ Woman’s’ Weekly through November.
Waikato Campaign
Billboard advertising is another successful tool in Toi-EDA’s efforts to promote Whakatane and the wider Eastern Bay of Plenty region.
Newspaper advertising started in the Waikato in October and will run through November. Existing billboard skins are being updated with a “North Island Sunshine Capital” icon. The billboards are expected to be highly effective – after all, who wouldn’t want to holiday in one of New Zealand’s sunniest regions?
Three Whakatane billboards were displayed in prime locations around Hamilton city in October and a further three are being displayed in November. Meanwhile, an insert promoting the attractions of the region will be included in the Waikato Times travel feature on November 10th. Advertising and editorial opportunities are also being finalised for the attractive new Waikato Times Weekend magazine, which has a wide readership.
Whakatane will also get plenty of mileage out of a pre-Christmas feature in NZ Today Magazine – a travel magazine targeting holidaymakers and drivers and distributed throughout New Zealand in retail outlets and cafes. Featured regions usually receive 10 - 30 pages of editorial, pictures and advertising. A NZ Today writer witnessed the sinking of the dive vessel Seafire, which is expected to become a prime attraction for divers from around the country.
Capital targeted
A late summer/autumn publicity campaign scheduled for February will target the Wellington market, promoting Whakatane as a weekend getaway destination. The travel editor of The Dominion Post newspaper will visit Whakatane and will also be shown key regional attractions.
As if all this weren’t enough a page about Whakatane will also appear in Arrival magazine which is distributed to incoming travellers at Auckland International Airport. The page will feature editorial, photos and advertisements from local operators.
It really is all go on the publicity front. As well as all the other publicity drives, a new brochure is also being designed to promote Eastern Bay rivers and harbours to kayakers. Kayaking is a fast-growing sport and the Eastern Bay of Plenty has waters that can be tackled by kayakers of all skill levels.
All three districts will benefit from an increase in the number of enthusiasts visiting the region.
More news from Toi-EDA
