I have been reading about the Australia Tourism pitch that's going on right now. It's a knotty one because there is one dominant, hugely successful campaign that lurks in the background (Paul Hogan's shrimp-on-the-barbie) which is now 25 years old but well-remembered.
The Economist quotes Geoff Buckley, MD of Tourism Australia "The Hogan ad was brilliant but it was never taken globally. Nowadays we need a unique and motivating message that resonates in 23 different markets." Tough.
The contrast with the 100% Pure New Zealand ads that are mostly photographic (one was so beautiful I cut it out) is stark. Which country would you rather visit.
But that's not the point of this post. Later in the article Christopher Brown of TTF Australia an industry lobby group, wants to form a brand council bringing together representatives from not just travel but wine, food, film, and fashion industries too. "We need some heavy-lifting from other sectors to add depth and richness to the Australian story. No country can afford to sell itself with a 30-=second tourism ad."
Too true. And for biz dev folk, the challenge is this:
Which other skills / companies / individuals can you bring onto your "brand council" in order to give a fuller view of your offering?
As an example, I host events for my clients and prospective clients with other professionals who have a message that creative biz dev folk might be interested in. See here and here The key is for both parties to invite their own contacts and (there will be overlap) you end up with a wider audience who can both network with each other and also get exposed to both organisations' skills.
PS am planning another event of this kind for mid-June. Watch this space….
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