Canterbury & Christchurch Tourism entice Aussie holidaymakers in digital work via iris Sydney

Australian visitors have always been Christchurch’s largest holiday arrivals market, but despite a high knowledge of the city itself, familiarity with the Canterbury region is extremely low.

With a goal to get Sydney dwellers and holidaymakers visiting the region, Canterbury & Christchurch Tourism and iris Sydney have launched a campaign that not only educates Australians about it as a desirable holiday option, but puts it firmly on their radar as a ‘short-break destination’ – being only three hours away from the city.

VIEW THE CAMPAIGN SITE

The digital campaign is called ‘Canterbury: Tales To Be Told‘. A play on the world famous Canterbury Tales, penned in Middle English in the early 14th Century by Geoffrey Chaucer, iris has created a campaign based on Seven Tales. Pulling on stories from across the region, from trekking an ancient glacier to seeing the stunning Southern lights, the digital campaign demonstrates all the best that New Zealand has to offer, only a short distance away from Sydney.

Injecting these tales with some Kiwi humour, and in line with Chaucer’s own mischievous ancient prose, iris worked with a Kiwi illustrator to develop a fun look and feel for the seven tales, with each character experiencing first hand everything that Canterbury has to offer.

Says James Griffiths, deputy creative director, iris Sydney: “As a big fan of Kiwi humour, Canterbury Tales was a great opportunity to inject some of that charm into our creative. The fantastical and fun world that we have created, we hope, will not only educate people about the region in a unique way, but really stand out from the traditional way of selling New Zealand as a destination – there’s only so many epic shots of mountains you can see before you go into auto pilot.”

The campaign will run through digital media, social, experiential and radio, supported by a digital platform to allow visitors to discover a plethora of activities, create their own tale, and book a visit to make it a reality.

Says Tim Hunter, CEO, Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism: “We’re really excited about putting the Canterbury name out there to Sydneysiders and showcasing what the region has to offer for a short break holiday. The unique tone of the campaign resonates with Christchurch and Canterbury whilst giving a very playful nod to our English roots that are still evident in the city and region today. We’re looking forward to welcoming the influx of squires, princesses and courtiers to the region.”

Agency: iris

Client: Canterbury & Christchurch Tourism