Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 58:49 to 1:08:49
The hearing concludes with a discussion on regional dispersal strategies, the use of high-profile advocates like Robert Irwin, and the Aussie Specialist training program for travel agents.
Topics: Tourism
Speakers: Robin Mack, Raff Ciccone, Sarah Henderson, Unknown Speaker, Senator Raff Ciccone, Senator Sarah Henderson
>> Mr. Mack, I just wanted to also briefly raise concerns about your work uh and your marketing into regional communities and regional Australia. So, what campaigns or partnerships specifically target regional products? Um, you know, there tends to be lots of iconic um images in your material, but what are you doing to drive visitation into small regional markets and to support small regional operators?
>> Thank you, Senator, for the question. Regional dispersal is very important to us. You know, our our our job is to get people here and getting them moving around the country as much as possible. We target high yielding travelers who will stay more, spend more, but also disperse more. That's who we're targeting to travel around. Every market is a little bit different different. Some of them can come for shorter periods of time, some can come for longer periods of time. But the advertisement you see is run with come and say good day, which actually has a degree of regional u uh destinations in as well as the more iconic city destinations. It's very much mix uh covered in those adverts is kind of almost the tip of the iceberg for the content that we have because underneath that we have a breadth of activity that is part of like um uh we call our media host program where we bring journalists and media over here uh influencers content creators to cover a lot of content that sits through social channels through their publications that's reaching our target audience. So that is where we can also not only mention and cover regional destinations within our hero advertisement but we can cover so much beyond that in that layer down which is um where [clears throat] we're talking and and bringing to life the depth and breadth of Australia as a destination. Um, so that's an example of our our marketing and creative and I in terms of our media hosting program, there is always an element where they'll be visiting a city destination, but we always try and get them out into the regions as well, so it increases the coverage of what they do. Um, we also look at our Aussie specialist training program. I mentioned that earlier. That's how we train travel agents how best to sell Australia. That trains them on the whole country. It's not just cities. Um we have uh training sessions that our team around the world do which targets about 65,000 people are trained every year by this group of trainers that we have that are out there doing webinars and face-to-face training that's all regional content as well as cities. It's about itinerary building and getting people beyond the communities um out out of the cities
into the communities. Do do you utilize product placement in television programs, films, documentaries, and the like?
>> Uh, we don't do that from a screen tourism perspective. Not not our role. We're doing the advertisements for it. If there are um uh film companies that approach us for content, obviously we have an amazing video and image gallery that is free to anyone who wants uh it's got over 10,000 images in it that people can use, download for free. So, we can help in that regard. We will be approached sometimes for uh bespoke uh um suggestions if they're going visiting somewhere, but we don't do product placements. No.
>> Okay. And uh have you extended the deal with Robert Irwin? We chatted about that last time. >> We did, Senator. >> I have. I have a crush on him. >> Um we've got still a little bit >> I think everyone's got a crush on him.
>> We've still got a little bit of time left on the contract. Um and he's very much he's actually an official friend of Australia and working well with us. But he just continues to shine in everything he does and that's all the benefit for us >> in our campaign and our activity. But um yes, >> I might be outnumbered. It's working well. The
>> suggestion we might call him before the
estimates for next time. >> Well, I I have just texted um Minister Farrell, but he hasn't responded, but we might have more luck. >> Has he got your number? >> Robert, [laughter] >> Mr. Mac, thank you so much and thank you to your team for all your hard work. I appreciate your attendance. We will have more questions on notice which we'll submit. Thank you. >> Thank you, Senator.
>> Thanks, Chair. >> All right. >> I do have a feeling that Mr. Irwin's very popular among some of the um female senators. I'm not sure why, but anyway, maybe >> I impress more later. >> Okay. All right. >> Yeah, that's right. Um to me, [laughter] >> that might be wise, Senator. Thank you. Um just following on on that campaign, it sort of went to some of the question that Senator Henderson um asked um just around the metrics that you use um you want to provide a bit more information for the committee um regarding how you measure the success of the campaign.
>> Yes. Yeah. So we look at overall um how many people will access the video content to look at that and as I mentioned earlier it's 522 million views globally have done that but we also look at social media impressions uh which has been 92 million that we've had and then we look what what um content has been created um uh through word of mouth and um also through our avatar visiting journalist programs and to date since we relaunched campaign in August. We've had almost 8 and a half thousand articles around the campaign have come through and that's a value equivalent advertising value if we were buying that space worth $331 million. Uh so performing well against our targets.
Yeah. >> And in terms of market research um you no doubt conduct market research into how effective these campaigns are. I mean is anything else you're able to elaborate or provide
>> for the committee? >> Yes. a couple of points I mentioned before, but one of the when we test the advertisement around the world and we actually invest a lot in research because we we think we produced a good advertisement, but we've got to test it really works with the diverse range of customers and markets we have. We're in 16 markets around the world and we test that um quite rigorously and when we test it we look at emotional response from the people looking at it and will they take a next step and it actually performs in the top 1% of tourism adverts that they're seeing and testing. Um, so we know it's really resonating, but I mentioned some of the stats earlier, but another one is three in four of our high yielding travelers indicate there is something new in which they hadn't realized Australia was known for. And I think that's how we're getting that balance of the icons. We we're known for kangaroos, so we use our animated Ruby Roo as a brand code for come and say good day. Um, but they also see the icons that they might be familiar with, but then they're getting a depth of product in there. So, we're actually uh breaking new ground with a consumer and showing more of Australia than they first initially thought.
>> And in terms of these campaigns, is it something you're expecting to roll out every one or two years like a new
campaign? >> Uh we monitor the campaign for the success and make sure it's still resonating and then we take action. We first launched this come and say good day campaign uh back in 2022. um making sure we were responding.
>> You've taken a different approach this time round with this campaign, haven't
you? Campaign. >> Yes. Yeah. So, we launched come day in 2022. It was going really well, but we want to keep evolving it, keeping make sure it gives us cut through. So, that's when in the chapter 2 launch, which we started in August across our markets. We took a local advocacy approach. Hence, Robert Irwin was used in the US. We use Nigela Lawson in the UK and Var Yoshu, a very famous um Chinese actor for China uh to really look at who are the friends of Australia but resonate with the target customers in each of those markets. So we know that um they're seeing what we're sharing with them, but they're also hearing it from a voice of someone they trust, an advocate, and sharing their love of Australia and the fact that when they've been here, it's generated memories that last a lifetime. So that's the evolution we've had with the campaign, but we always monitor it. We always evolve and look at how we can make it better. There's also bespoke campaigns that you might not be aware of that come from that. >> So for example, for the recent Ashes campaign, we ran a how's that campaign uh how's that for a holiday? Um with Pat Cummins starring in that and that was ran in the UK market with 22 million video views for it. But the strategy for that is when people are watching these major events that we have in here in Australia, when the eyes of the world are on it or the eyes of the country are on it in that instance, they're being enticed with advertisements around it for coming to Australia for a holiday. So that that's very effective as well. So they're watching it but come over as
well. >> Oh, good on you. Do you tailor or have these ads run here locally?
>> We don't it's not designed for the domestic market. So we don't domestic tourism just in inbound international. So they're very created for the target customer overseas.
>> I'm sure like a lot of Aussies, you know, we probably don't even know half the country that we live in, right? It's such a great place and so um wonderful the ads that you you produce. So well done. >> Thank you, Senator. Thank you. >> Look, on that note, I just want to say thank you to you and your team. Uh I'm sure if Senator Ferrell's here to say thank you, but um Senator Watts equally impressed by the work that you do and um again thank you on behalf of the
committee for the work you do. >> Thank you.
>> All right, [clears throat] colleagues. Well, on that note, um that concludes today's proceedings. Uh it is requested that senators do submit written questions on notice by the 20th of February to allow sufficient time for answers and the committee has set the 10th of April as the date for the return of answers to questions taken on notice. I want to thank Minister Wong, Minister Watt, um Miss Adams, um all the other officers of the department who appeared from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, all the agencies and witnesses who gave evidence at today's hearing. Thank you to Hansa Broadcasting and of course our secretariat and I on that note declared that the hearing is now adjourned. Thank you everyone.
>> Thank you all.