Watch: Part II of TNZ’s #getNZonthemap campaign

26th October 2018 By Bridget O'Connell | bridget@tourismticker.com | @tourismticker

The star power of musician Ed Sheeran and New Zealand’s Hollywood heavyweight Sir Peter Jackson are drawn on in the $300,000 second instalment of Tourism New Zealand’s #getNZonthemap campaign.

Launching today, the campaign sees the Lord of the Rings director and British singer join the winning formula of prime minister Jacinda Ardern and comedian Rhys Darby in a video which aims to drive visitation to New Zealand.

Part two of the #getNZonthemap series highlights the range of experiences on offer in New Zealand and how the vicinity of the country to key visitor markets such as the US, the UK and Australia.

The agency’s chief executive, Stephen England-Hall, said that the first $150,000 campaign that centred around Darby investigating why New Zealand is often left off world maps “worked extremely well to raise awareness of New Zealand as a destination, going viral within 48 hours.”

He added: “The new video aims to re-engage this global audience and encourage them to plan and book a holiday to New Zealand by showing them how much there is to see and do and how easy it is to get to New Zealand.”

The campaign will be supported by content on Tourism New Zealand’s travel trade and consumer websites to help drive holiday bookings.

The cost of this travel trade and website content, as well as the creation of the video, comprise the majority of the $300,000 investment into this campaign, which TNZ said is expected to be “far outweighed” by the advertising value it achieves. The first video resulted in media coverage that hit over $10m in value.

England-Hall added: “The content addresses perceived barriers to visiting New Zealand, such as flight times and how easy it is to get around. It also promotes autumn and spring as the best time to visit, supporting our strategy to spread visitation across the year.”

Ardern, who features in both videos, said: “I’ve loved seeing the global response to this campaign. With a little help from Sir Peter, my hope is that people will see New Zealand right where it deserves to be – on the top of their list of places to visit!”

In the video released today, Darby is continuing his investigation into why New Zealand has been left off world maps, and attempts to solve the original conspiracy with help from Sir Peter.

Darby mistakes Ed Sheeran as being responsible for keeping New Zealand off world maps, but Sir Peter Jackson concludes the investigation by creating a new world map which New Zealand sits in the middle of.

The ‘Middle-earth Map’ illustrates how easily accessible New Zealand is due to increased flight connectivity across the globe.