Gold
Air New Zealand
"Kiwi Skeptics"
PHD Australia
New Zealand is a place that 52% of Aussies actively consider visiting…. Eventually. Its proximity to Australia and existing preconceptions mean it’s a destination that “I’ll visit at some point in my life,” but “probably not right now.” Air New Zealand wanted to change all that and prove to Aussies across the country that New Zealand is a must visit destination with something to offer even the most hardened “Kiwi skeptics.”
Research showed that the most important moment to change attitudes was in the ‘travel dreaming’ stage when people are passively looking at travel options and thinking about their next holiday. This is when they received relevant and surprising content to disrupt their preconceptions. They would be retargeted later with the right retail message to convert attitude change into sales.
PHD also identified a group of Cash Rich Time Poor Explorers who represented the most valuable segment to convert:
- The ‘Aussie Aussie’- typical Aussie who just sees New Zealand as a second grade Australia.
- The ‘Bali girl’- urban youngster who thinks New Zealand is full of old people and sheep.
- The ‘Hipster’- cool young fun loving guy who simply doesn’t think New Zealand is cool enough.
- The ‘Europhile’- culture loving foodie, who doesn’t think New Zealand compares to Europe.
Webisodes were created to follow the journey of a real life example of one of the four typologies to prove why New Zealand had much more to offer than they previously thought. Media and creative tactics were harmonious, from the conception of the campaign. PHD not only successfully changed the minds of Kiwi skeptics across Australia, but turned attitude change into, as the Australians say, actual bums on Air New Zealand seats.
