South African Tourism has launched a cinema advertising campaign. This is the first above the line brand campaign to take place in the Australian market for three years.
Bangu Masisi, General Manager for Australasia says, “This is just part of an overall campaign strategy which has included a tactical print campaign in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane promoting earlybird packages along with online advertising to motivate travellers to visit South Africa in 2007.”
South African Tourism research indicates that although general awareness of South Africa is high within the Australian market, awareness of its tourism offerings are not. The sixty second advertisements have been placed to target the two key segments for South African Tourism on screens primarily within arthouse cinemas as well as some key mainstream theatres.
Masisi says that, “Cinema is the perfect medium through which to show the ultimate escape destination. South Africa is a larger than life destination which will be portrayed through cinema, a larger than life experience.”
South African Tourism have found that cinema is an excellent medium which has been under utilised by other tourism product. December to January, are the highest cinema going periods with the increase being as much as four times the usual audience hence South African Tourism have chosen the holiday season for their larger than life wonder advertisements.