Syringes, shrinkage and the shire: Tourism NT enlists comedians to dish the dirt on their home states in new campaign via Common Ventures

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Screen Shot 2017-07-28 at 2.15.30 pm.jpgTourism NT has launched “Get out of the state you’re in”, a social campaign with creative and production via Common Ventures, Sydney. Starring Harley Breen, Alex Williamson and Tanya Hennessy, the campaign features three videos of comedians taking the piss out of their home states.

The campaign was created and produced by Common Ventures, with the hope to create cut through with social media engagement while also continuing to maintain existing levels of brand awareness of “Do the NT” in the domestic market.

Says Alastair Shields, CEO department of tourism and culture, Tourism NT: “Getting out of the state you’re in means more than just physically travelling. It’s about getting out of a rut, day-to-day norms and your current state of mind. Sydney’s traffic, Adelaide’s cold nights and Melbourne’s beaches – there are so many reasons to get out of those states and visit the Northern Territory.”

Says Brian Merrifield, managing director and ECD from Common Ventures: “It was exciting to work so closely and collaboratively with the Tourism NT team due to their willingness to speak to their audience in a way that they genuinely appreciate. We all love the videos and are glad they have been received so well by those they were made for. Millennials have turned to platforms like Instagram and Snapchat for travel inspiration so it made sense to make a tourism campaign built for social consumption, instead of making a TV ad that is uploaded to YouTube.”

Says Alex Don, senior account director, Common Ventures: “Considering the campaign is aimed at the youth market, finding the right tone was critical for the success of the campaign. With the NT’s inherent larrikin nature, humour was the perfect fit for the brand while ensuring these videos would resonate. Tourism NT is one of the only government bodies that could pull this off.”

Says James Crawley, co-CD, Common Ventures: “Instead of opting for identities with a mainstream following, we decided to utilise comedians with strong online personalities. With the only requirement being a large social media following and a little good natured hatred toward their states, so using comedians to rag on their home states simply made sense.”

Jane Burhop, co-CD, Common Ventures: “We’ve worked with some extremely funny people, all who brought their own particular style to the clips. It was an incredibly fun campaign for an equally fun client.”

A collaborative approach to production was of utmost importance says Burhop: “We picked content creators with a style that suited the NT, and worked with them to ensure their own audiences will be receptive to the work. This flowed through the whole production process, including shooting the videos in a way that suited their established aesthetic.”

To further utilise Instagram and Snapchat, the campaign also featured social footage shot on the day with the comedians iPhones, which was then uploaded to coincide with the campaign launch.

Says Burhop:”Along with the longer form video content, we really wanted to capture and share a wide array of snackable content to match how people are currently using their social apps; from Instagram stories through to interactive Snapchat stories.

The campaign is supported through Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook and to date has garnered over 4000 shares.

Creative Agency: Common Ventures

Executive Creative Director: Brian Merrifield

Co-Creative Director: Jane Burhop

Co-Creative Director: James Crawley

Creative: Daniel Nutman

Senior Account Director: Alex Don

Account Executive: Megan Deveson

Designers: Logan Muir, Hugh Inglis

Producer: Tim Russell

Production: Common Ventures

Director: Nick Russell

Line Producer: Daisy Bray

1st AD: Jose Marquina

DOP: Dale Cochrane

Camera Assist: Jackson Gallagher

2nd Camera Op. (QLD): Frank Souter

Editor: The Butchery

Sound: Method Studios