Tourism WA win prestigious award after latest campaign an overwhelming success

Tourism WA has won a prestigious award for efforts in turning the West into a desirable destination choice for domestic and international travellers.

The brand won the 2023 Campaign Brief Advertiser of the Year award at the Gala Oasis Ball last Friday 17 May.

They beat out other finalists Plico Energy, Public Transport Authority and Synergy to claim the award win for the first time in Tourism WA’s history.

It was a bold campaign that Tourism WA used in 2023, which used consumer research and insights from an industry consultation process.

In the end, the campaign focussed on four hero destinations: The Kimberley, Ningaloo Reef, Margaret River Region, and Perth.

Focussing on the four destinations allowed the project to capture what is distinctive about Western Australia at a more emotional level.

It worked in partnership with Empire of the Sun to reimagine their big hit, Walking On A Dream, which was also nominated for an ARIA by the way.

The campaign kicked off in Times Square, New York City as part of New Year’s Eve festivities.

Following that, it was showcased on London’s Piccadilly Lights and soon after in Singapore, Japan and soon to be China.

For some numbers, since the new launch in September 2022, Western Australia has seen an increase in annual visitor spend by around 36%, from $12.27 billion to $17.7 billion.

On top of that, overnight visitors have also grown, with figures increasing from 10.5 million to 10.9 million over the 16-month period.

It was a bold objective at the starting point, but for such an important job, Tourism WA did not feel the need to look to the east as they appointed two Perth-based communications companies.

Tourism WA worked on the campaign with The Brand Agency and Initiative, to focus on what Western Australia stands for and who they are targeting.

Fair to say then that the award win was deserved as Tourism WA arguably produced its most important global brand strategy and campaign in its history.

To recognise that, the tourism board rewarded The Brand Agency with a new five-year contract as their sole strategy and creative services partner.

Image Credit: Tourism WA