Tourism New Zealand turns fantasy into reality in new ‘100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand’ campaign via Whybin\TBWA Auckland + Sydney

Earlier this year, Whybin\TBWA, Auckland and Sydney was presented with a once in a lifetime brief by Tourism New Zealand to create both an evolution of the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign and an idea that leveraged the concept of New Zealand as home of Middle-earth.

The result is a new brand film that uses Middle-earth as a means to showcase the country and show audiences what appears to be a fantasy land is in fact a real place to be enjoyed by all visitors.

VIEW THE FILM

Says Andy Blood, Whybin\TBWA executive creative director: “When the two Whybin\TBWA offices (Sydney and Auckland) won the Tourism New Zealand account last November, I don’t think we ever expected to get off to such a flying start – creating a global, integrated campaign that leverages the connection with Middle-earth.

The 100% Pure New Zealand brand campaign is now in its 13th year and it’s an honour to be able to put our stamp on it.”

Narrated by esteemed actor Sir Ian Holm, the brand film gives potential visitors to New Zealand a flavour of what they might expect when they get here, the people they’ll meet, the local culture and the captivating experiences they’ll enjoy.

Says Blood: “We wished to blend storytelling techniques used in the cinema with real stories of New Zealand, to get across to audiences the world over that New Zealand is magical place where the lines between real life and fantasy blur. This led us to 100% Middle-earth is 100% Pure New Zealand – a parallel universe, which to all intents and purposes is real.”

Says Justin Watson, Tourism New Zealand General Manager Marketing Communications: “This was definitely a challenging brief because the end result needed to deliver a tourism message that leveraged the movies but was not about promoting the movies. The team at Whybin\TBWA rose to the challenge and have developed a strong and compelling idea around Middle-earth and an execution that makes you proud to be a New Zealander.”

The campaign launched yesterday on newzealand.com and will appear across TV, cinema and digital in Australia from 26 August, followed by the Western and Eastern markets in September and October respectively.

The campaign will direct people to newzealand.com where they will be able to interact with scenes depicted in the brand film. The scenes will lead users to discover more about the regions and rich experiences they can enjoy in New Zealand. From there users can link directly to travel providers and offers so they can start planning their own magical journey to Middle-earth.

Whybin\TBWA:

Stills Photography: Fraser Clements, Match Photography