New Campaign Promises to Breath 'Life' into US Market

A new Tourism New Zealand campaign that hits US television screens this week is promising American travellers that a New Zealand holiday will give them their life back.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive George Hickton says the cheeky campaign, which carries the tagline ‘The New Zealand LifeBack Promise’, is intended to raise awareness of New Zealand and help prop up declining visitor numbers from this important market.

Research carried out by Tourism New Zealand showed that many of our visitors from the United States consider their New Zealand vacation to be a life-changing experience.

Of those interviewed, travellers who had previously visited New Zealand said it was a soul-enriching and rejuvenating experience that ‘gave them their life back’.

The research also found that, despite its importance to New Zealand tourism, awareness of New Zealand in the US remains low.

While economic conditions have put a damper on visitor numbers from the US, our third most important tourism market, George Hickton says this market is still incredibly important for New Zealand and has potential for growth.

“We now have direct flights out of three West Coast cities, with New Zealand only an easy overnight flight away,” he says.

“Airfares are low and our dollar is making us good value for American travellers.

“Part of the problem at the moment is lack of awareness. Our research showed that those who know more about New Zealand and have a better understanding of what we offer are more likely to come here. This campaign has been designed to raise awareness and convert that awareness into action.”

This new take on the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign tells American consumers to give New Zealand just nine days and get their life back.

The 30 second television commercial (launched this week) will be followed by two 90 second ‘mini-documentaries’ (launching later this month), which showcase the revitalising experiences travellers can expect from a New Zealand holiday.

The campaign will run on the Discovery Channel Network, which is a perfect fit for Tourism New Zealand’s target market. Network statistics show 12.9 million Discovery Channel viewers took a foreign vacation in the last year. Of these, 291,000 have already been to New Zealand.

Check the Video, click here