A new tourism marketing campaign in China is using 'star power'
to boost New Zealand's profile in the world's most populous
nation.
Tourism New Zealand has teamed up with two big names in Chinese
entertainment - film-maker Lu Chuan and media personality/celebrity
blogger Hung Huang - to promote New Zealand to Chinese
travellers.
Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says the
campaign will make use of online communities and interactive
digital technology to take New Zealand to the right audiences in
this fast-growing market.
"Previous advertising activity in China has been successful in
building awareness of New Zealand. We now need to build on that by
telling a more detailed story of what New Zealand can offer Chinese
visitors," says Kevin Bowler.
"By sharing the experiences of real people - who are well-known
and respected by our target market in China - we can fill in the
knowledge gaps in the minds of potential visitors."
The campaign is based around mini-travelogues fronted by the two
celebrities as they experience New Zealand for themselves. The
travelogues will be shared through a range of online platforms;
including blogs, social media sites and through Tourism New
Zealand's Chinese-language version of its visitor website, www.newzealand.com/travel/china
Two key channels will include the Chinese equivalents of social
media websites YouTube (www.tudou.com) and Facebook (www.kaixin001.com).
Kevin Bowler says tapping into online communities, with the help
of Lu Chuan and Hung Huang, is a great way to spread content
virally, engage consumers in conversation and build lasting
networks of fans.
"Digital technologies are providing new ways of doing business
every day. New Zealand is a niche destination that appeals to a
specific type of traveller - using digital channels, such as social
media and search marketing, allows us to speak directly to this
group and maximise the value of our marketing spend," he says.
With 384 million Internet users in China, online channels
provide an ideal opportunity to extend the reach of the '100% Pure
New Zealand' campaign.
The campaign launched this week, with advertising on digital
interactive television, on office building screens and online. All
advertising and media placements are directing consumers through to
www.newzealand.com/travel/china, where they can
download Lu Chuan and Hung Huang's New Zealand itineraries and link
through to travel seller partners to purchase travel.
Download images
from the campaign
For more information or to request video footage, please
contact:
Sue Allen, Tel: +64 29 917 5466, Email: suea@tnz.govt.nz
Background
- New Zealand welcomed 102,332 Chinese visitors in the year
ending February 2010. This was down 9 per cent on the previous
year, due to the global economic downturn and the impact of 2009's
Influenza A H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreak.
- The Ministry of Tourism forecasts Chinese visitor arrivals will
grow by a total of 62.6 per cent between 2009 and 2015, to 183,000
visitors per year.
The Campaign:
- The tagline of the campaign translates in English to
'Experience New Zealand, Right Now'. Campaign activity launched on
Monday 12 April.
- The campaign is running across digital channels including:
online advertising, search engine marketing, social media,
interactive digital television, advertising on office building
screens and on screens in the back of taxis.
- The campaign is based on research showing that word-of-mouth is
one of the most powerful influencers in Chinese travellers' holiday
decisions. The campaign is designed to capture the value of
recommendations from high-profile people that our target market
trusts and respects.
- A number of mini-films will be rolled out during April and May,
beginning with Lu Chuan's experiences and followed in May by Hung
Huang's.
Advocates' Biographies:
- Lu Chuan is a Chinese filmmaker and screenwriter, and the son
of famous Chinese novelist Lu Tianming. He has directed three films
in the past ten years, most recently the 2009 war drama City of
Life and Death. Lu Chuan is one of only five Chinese directors
whose box-office takings for a single film have exceeded 100
million renminbi (RMB).
- Hung Huang's blog is consistently in the top-10 blogs on
China's biggest online portal www.sina.com, with around 90 million page
views. She is also Chief Executive of magazine publishers China
Interactive Media Group. Hung Huang's mother was a famous diplomat,
author and also English teacher for Chairman Mao.
- Hung Huang visited New Zealand with her four-year-old daughter
Zhang Mian, and friends former Olympic gymnast Mo Huilan (now a
television sports presenter) and online entrepreneur Wang Wei (the
founder of www.tudou.com, China's largest video sharing
website).
Shanghai World Expo 2010:
- Tourism New Zealand is supporting New Zealand Trade and
Enterprise and other New Zealand Government Agencies at the New
Zealand Pavilion at this year's Shanghai World Expo (1 May to 31
October 2010). Campaign activity will take place around this event
in order to leverage awareness created by the New Zealand Pavilion.
Find out more on NZTE's website
Read more about China
in our online market guide