As a strategic marketing agency it is our role to assist clients in determining their unique value proposition, which in turn informs their target markets and marketing mix. Over the break I encountered this billboard at Southern Cross Station:
At first, I thought that it was perhaps an advertisement for a restaurant at South Warf, given it is approximately 1 kilometre from Southern Cross Station and has almost the exact same look and feel as this advertisement.
On closer inspection, I realised that this was not an advertisement for South Warf, but for Brisbane.
Visit Brisbane ad
Brisbane, unlike other areas in Queensland, is the urban centre, with a population of 2.3 million. It doesn’t have the glitzy beaches and hotels like the Gold Coast or the pristine scenery of the Whitsunday’s; and in many ways it is a lot like Melbourne.
Brisbane Marketing is the official tourism organisation for Brisbane, with one of its goals to increase interstate tourism from Melbourne. Unfortunately, this campaign has not understood this target audience.
South Warf Melbourne
Riverside dining at South Warf Melbourne
There is no point creating a tourism campaign that looks like it was shot in Melbourne and then sold to people in Melbourne, when they can get the same experience walking 12 minutes from Southern Cross Station.
Tourism exists to generate a return, and while this campaign goes beyond the typical flora and fauna approach it does not look at how to position Brisbane’s strengths relative to Melbourne.
We encourage Brisbane Marketing to look strategically at their target audiences and start creating campaigns that these audiences with value.
