10 Mar 2009
Marketing campaign targets Wellingtonians
Toi-EDA’s marketing and events office has launched a multi-media marketing campaign aimed at enticing Wellingtonians to Whakatane for exciting weekend “getaways.”
The campaign will trial online banner and Google advertisements in addition to the more conventional newspaper and billboard ads.
Events marketing manager Nicola Burgess says the aim is to launch Whakatane into Wellingtonians’ mindsets as an easy weekend destination.
The direct daily flight between Whakatane and Wellington allows visitors to leave Wellington on Friday evening and catch a flight back to the capital first thing on Monday morning.
The campaign highlights the huge range of activities available in the Whakatane area, including trips to White Island, with an emphasis on family fun.
The billboard campaign will run for two months, while the Dominion Post newspaper, whose travel editor was hosted on a visit to Whakatane recently, will offer a free trip for two to Whakatane, including a visit to White Island. Articles in the newspaper will highlight a range of tourist activities.
The online banner advertising will appear on the Stuff website – www.stuff.co.nz – and will take readers to a mini website offering further information about Whakatane.
Nicola says the amount of money invested into the Wellington campaign by Toi-EDA has been more than matched by sponsor agreements with businesses including the Dominion Post.
Toi-EDA has scored major successes with its ongoing efforts to publicise the attractions of the Whakatane district. The district received valuable exposure on the international front when Arrival magazine carried a page featuring editorial, photos and advertisements from local operators. Editorial content focused on the “Adventure Coast” and highlighted diving and dolphin and whale watching tours, as well as trips to White Island. The magazine is distributed to the thousands of travellers who pass through Auckland International Airport each day.
A 36 page feature about the district which appeared in New Zealand Today magazine just in time for the summer tourist trade, was a major publicity boost for the area.
Generous in its praise for Whakatane and the Eastern Bay, the feature was written by editor Kelvin Dick whose visit was co-ordinated and assisted by Toi-EDA. It included advertising from Toi-EDA and local companies.
Headlined “Whakatane’s hidden talent,” the no-holds-barred feature carried a sub-heading describing the town’s potential as “amazing.” It covered Murupara and outlying centres like Ruatoki and Waimana, with Mr Dick describing some of the characters he met along the way.
A visit to White Island with White Island Tours also impressed Mr Dick, who said owners Peter and Jenny Tait had put together a world-class operation, going to a world-class site. White Island also featured in a colour photo on the front of the magazine.
The spotlight was on Ohope when the NZ Herald published a double page feature on the popular beach community in January. Listing a number of visitor attractions in Ohope and Whakatane, the feature focused on Ohope as the ideal location for a budget friendly family holiday.
The latest Whakatane Visitor Guide was published in December and 60,000 copies will be distributed to motels and information centres around the country. Now in its eighth year, the bright and colourful guide is updated every two years.
More news from Toi-EDA
