Case study | Campaign messaging
When the pandemic closed Australia’s borders, Tourism Australia needed to give Australians a reason to travel at home, and later a reason to roll up their sleeves so travel could start again. I helped find the words. One line I wrote, “Your Passport to Freedom”, travelled further than the campaign itself: into the events and hospitality sectors, and as far as Fiji.
The brief
Tourism Australia’s job is to make people want to visit. During lockdowns, that job changed overnight. The messaging had to stay optimistic and inviting at a time when many Australians were stuck at home and the tourism industry was among the hardest hit.
I worked across Tourism Australia’s Digital, Content Marketing, Brand, Campaign and Media teams on multiple campaigns for domestic and international markets, creating and refining copy for press ads, outdoor advertising, display creative and social content for Australia.com.
What I did
Your Passport to Freedom
During lockdowns, the task was to motivate Australians to get vaccinated by connecting it to something they badly wanted back: travel. I wrote the call to action that did it. The line resonated so strongly that it spread beyond the campaign into the events and hospitality sectors, and Tourism Fiji adapted it for its own market, with Tourism Australia’s permission.
Rediscover Your Backyard
With international travel off the table, Tourism Australia’s Holiday Here This Year campaign invited Australians to see their own country with fresh eyes. My copy turned vast landscapes and local culture into an escape close to home, including a festive-season spin that positioned Australia as the ultimate gift store.
The Gift of Travel
In 2021, Tourism Australia’s Christmas campaign, created with M&C Saatchi Sydney, framed Australia as the best gift shop in the world. I wrote the accompanying print and digital creative, encouraging Australians to give meaningful travel experiences as gifts and, in doing so, support the tourism operators and communities hit hardest by COVID-19.
The result
The clearest sign that a line works is when other people start using it. “Your Passport to Freedom” was picked up well beyond its original campaign, across events and hospitality, and adapted by Tourism Fiji.
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