Warming up winter

Tasmania has recently begun one of its largest advertising campaigns, to clearly position itself in the mind of the consumer as ‘the place to visit in winter’ under the line: ‘a world apart, not a world away’. It’s not only a beautiful marketing campaign with some really strong messages, but it’s an example of some careful and clever strategic thinking.

There is no doubt Australia is known for its beaches, surfing, warm weather and all that goes with it, and luckily when the southern parts experience the cold of winter the northern parts are still sunny and warm. But where did poor old Tasmania fit into that mix? It’s generally not much warmer than 30 degrees in the heat of summer and when it comes to selecting a summer getaway it rarely made it to anyone’s list.

Tasmania’s recent campaign has focused on a market segment that is relatively untouched in Australian tourism – winter! Cosy winter hideaways in the forest, a steaming spa on the balcony overlooking a lush forest, a winding road through rolling green landscapes and a dinner for two with a scrumptious local red next to a roaring fire – these are the sorts of images Tasmania are now using in their recent campaign. It promotes a series of festivals and events being hosted throughout the state during winter. It’s reminding us all that winter can be romantic, exotic, relaxing, fun and all the other things we seek from a holiday.

By standing up and admitting that ‘yes it’s cold, it often rains, and you may as well kiss your summer tan goodbye’ they are slowly carving themselves a niche tourism market. It’s a risky strategy because it relies on people changing some of their habits and perceptions. But I think it will work. It’s worked on me. And any other region in Australia would struggle to compete with them now. I also like this campaign because it’s honest. It’s not making Tasmania into something it’s not.

I think we can all learn a lesson from Tasmania’s marketing. Don’t be afraid of being different. Only be afraid of not telling enough people why you’re different.

Learn more about Tasmania’s campaign by visiting www.discovertasmania.com.