303 MullenLowe has made two of WA’s leading influencers ‘unfluencers’ while travelling in Esperance in its tourism campaign for the region’s tourism organisation, Australia’s Golden Outboack (AGO). Local WA influencers, Rahnee Bransby and Zak Hasleby, have been visiting the region, experiencing everything it has to offer with family and friends. But in a campaign twist, they pledged not to post or use social media, giving them the chance to truly disconnect, and instead connect with the location and people they are with.
The campaign, So Far, So Good, presents Esperance as the perfect antidote to an always-on city life, and aims to promote travel to the region in the quieter autumn and spring seasons, highlighting its distance as a way to truly disconnect.
303 MullenLowe’s head of strategy John Linton, explained, “We’re constantly connected to our technology – the dopamine drip of social media, the endless alarm of news alerts, and the constant pull of a workplace that’s always within arm’s reach. But increasingly, we’re not connected to the aspects of real life and the people within it that are most important to us. And this is where Esperance comes in. It’s the perfect place to disconnect in order reconnect with what’s most important.”
Media was planned ands booked by Mediahub Perth. General manager, Kylie Macey, commented, “Esperance already has incredible online exposure; it was recently ranked 12th in the world for internet love and has thousands of tagged photos across different social platforms. Because Esperance is already so well-known across the globe, pursuing further online fame was not a priority. That’s why the idea of getting influencers not to post became so powerful because it goes against what has already been happening for years. However, the challenge then became about reaching target audiences through other means.
“Talking about the impact the social media ‘break’ had on our unfluencers has also generated strong conversation among people that might otherwise only see the classic ‘beach shots’ that Esperance is so famous for. Taking away the ability to post while visiting Esperance also meant we found other ways to reach our audiences, with radio, owned and earned media and fast to market content becoming more of a focus. We’re excited to see how far and wide the reach of our unfluencers will be.”
The full campaign covers social, radio and video. Built on culturally relevant moments, the campaign incorporates fresh Esperance video and static content, developed almost as it happened. A partnership has also been forged with Nova 937. Breakfast host, Nat Locke (who’s also an Esperance local), checked in with the unfluencers before and after their trip, with Nova encouraged all of Perth to Pledge to Not Post to go into a draw to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Esperance. Both the campaign and competition will be promoted through the partnership, in addition to social media.
Rahnee Bransby stated, “It was definitely hard. I’ve been in this industry for seven years of my life, so not having my phone there to shoot was interesting… and a little bit uncomfortable. I just had to reassure myself that all the precious memories that I made were going to be locked up (in my head) and not in my phone. And I think that’s really beautiful because it’s something special that Shani (Rahnee’s travel companion) and I can hold on to, just for ourselves.”
The 2023 campaign follows Queens of the Edge by 303 MullenLowe and Mediahub Perth, that promoted West Australia’s South West Edge.
Credits:
Client: Australia’s Golden Outback
Chief Executive Officer: Marcus Falconer
Marketing Manager: Kelly Leonard
Agency: 303 MullenLowe
Managing Director: René Migliore
Executive Creative Director: Richard Berney
Head of Planning: John Linton
Art Director: Stephen Hansen
Copyrighter: Zosia Kilpatrick
Designer: Alby Furfaro
Head of Production: Johnathan Julius
Business Director: Imogen Prevost
Media: Mediahub Perth
General Manager: Kylie Macey
Media Manager: Meg Handley
Media Coordinator: Olivia Ritzen
Director & Editor: Frank Carroll
DOP & Sound Operator: Justin Griffiths
AE Artist: Jonathan Reyes
Line Producer: Johnathan Julius
Sound Engineer & Audio Post: Mike Fragomeni
With thanks to: Zak Hasleby
Rahnee Bransby
Ian Mickell, Esperance Shire President
Fiona Shillington, Esperance Chalet Village
Christopher Hurst, Fly Esperance
Isabel Trueny, Aunt Joan’s Dolly mix (Vollie)
Graham Gath, Graham Gath Surveys
Jamien Hudson, Esperance Island Cruises
Caitlyn Edwards, Esperance Distillery Co.
