Finding your match – building a travel campaign that is all-inclusive

Which Waitaki wanderer are you? 

That’s the question we posed to our client, Tourism Waitaki, after they came to us for a fresh new spring and summer campaign to attract visitors to the Waitaki region.  

They wanted something that was fun, eye-catching, and original, different to what had been used before.  

The goal? To engage international visitors arriving in the South Island and inspire them to extend their stay. Not only that, but to encourage locals from around New Zealand to make Waitaki their next holiday destination.  

The campaign would need to attract more visitors, more night stays, and more visitor spending, grabbing the attention of tourist operators and buyers overseas to send their customers to Waitaki. The challenge was on.  

After putting our heads together and doing some research, we came up with an itinerary-based campaign that played on different tastes and types of travellers. Inspired by Neat Places and Rollickin’ Gelato, we combined itineraries with people, matching archetypes with certain activities and experiences you could find in the region.  

To stand out across all communication channels, we needed a tagline that was fresh and inviting. ‘Which Waitaki wanderer are you?’ was conversational, engaging, and asked a question that answered with action. 

We brainstormed six different Waitaki wanderers, including The Wildlife Wanderer, The Active Adventurer, The Heritage Enthusiast, The Bougie Foodie, The Luxury Lover, and The Hidden Gem Hunter.  

The six Waitaki wanderer archetypes

Tourism Waitaki wanted each corner of the region represented. Together, we made sure every experience was reflected, whether it was the Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony, the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail, the award-winning restaurants and vineyards, or the unique glamping retreats. 

Using a base of six wanderers and six itineraries, our scope for content became much bigger. Merch, social media, editorials, ads, a new landing page – you name it, we could try it!  

Designers Janelle and Gemma injected a fresh palette of colours and drew a suite of illustrations that were playful and distinct. By introducing a complimentary forest green, we were able to freshen the Tourism Waitaki brand and signify the changing of the season.  

Example illustrations from the Waitaki wanderer campaign

We wanted the campaign to play on the feeling of adventure, discovery and wonderment and did so by creating a suite of roughly drawn illustrations. These included illustrations of ‘treasure’ maps, trail lines, postcards, signposts and activities relevant to the archetype and to the location. Postcard and polaroid styles were used across social media content and print collateral to summon the idea of the quintessential kiwi summer, filled with laughs and adventure.  

Print advertisement

The fonts Merton and Oldventure were used in reference to old-fashioned trail maps to accentuate the rustic, down-to-earth nature of the campaign. By bringing together all these elements, we were able to create a campaign that had a subtle feeling of nostalgia while maintaining Tourism Waitaki’s strong brand identity. 

Once the designs were put in place, Josie and Hannah from our Comms team wrote the copy to suit. Writing fresh key messages and adapting the tone of voice across editorials, social media, and advertisements, we rolled out content across various channels that took readers through different options and itineraries for their stay.  

In the interim between the current Tourism Waitaki website, and the new one, the client requested we create a landing page based purely on the Waitaki wanderer campaign.  

We brought all of the elements together, and created a fun, engaging, and dynamic guide for the discerning traveller. What’s better? The client wants the campaign to stay, and we’ll be building upon it for the next digital ad campaign in autumn next year.  

Watch this space!