Hamilton Island launches new ‘Remember Why’ brand campaign via The General Store
Hamilton Island has launched a major new brand campaign via The General Store, following an investment of over $750million dollars from the Island’s owners to develop the destination over the past decade.
The campaign, the first for the iconic destination in six years, takes a focus on the importance of human connection whilst highlighting the ever-growing trend of multi-generational travel.
Since being purchased by the Oatley family in 2003, Hamilton Island has undergone quantum change. The Island has improved luxury offerings, premium facilities and has an array of new natural experiences for guests to enjoy. Through a competitive pitch process, Hamilton Island wanted to engage a creative team that could not only show the upgraded offerings on the Island, but also show the importance of emotional connection while on holidays.
Underpinning the campaign was a brand strategy process undertaken by The General Store. The extensive strategic review included market research to identify key brand perceptions, resulting in the creation of the new strapline ‘Remember Why’.
Says Matt Newell, executive strategy director, The General Store: “The vast majority of respondents revealed they had visited Hamilton Island before and many revealed their holidays had taken place as long as 10-20 years ago. Importantly, they held fond memories of their holiday around family connection. The communication challenge identified was that there was a perception amongst respondents that the destination had not changed since their last visit.
“Our research revealed that holidaymakers want to disconnect from technology and reconnect with others, themselves and the environment. ‘Remember Why’ is a two-fold call to action that speaks to those who have previously visited Hamilton Island and prompts them to retrieve some of those good memories and act on them again – and it asks all consumers to remember the importance of taking the time out of their busy lives to have a traditional holiday to reconnect.”
Another key insight from the research was that respondents were enticed by the breadth and depth of what Hamilton Island offers – it caters to all ages, mindsets and incomes. This makes it an easy holiday choice for those looking to travel as a group, substantiating why the island is experiencing growth in the multigenerational travel category.
This insight led the creative team from The Aesthetic to turn the focus ‘inward’ – on capturing the important emotional connections that people experience when they find the time and space to be in the present and in harmony, with destination backdrop as the secondary focus. To do this, Director Nick Leary chose to use real multigenerational families enjoying Hamilton Island without a script over a 10-day shoot period.
Nicky Oatley, Hamilton Island’s brand manager, said that engaging The Aesthetic was about finding an agency who could reflect Hamilton Island’s unique offering in a premium and down to earth way
Says Oatley: “Our key objective was to show people that Hamilton Island has changed, it is now a world-class destination that Australia is proud of. Under Nick Leary and Jay Lyon’s guidance, we opted to go for closer, tighter shots with virtually no destination backdrop. This was very deliberate, as we were trying to show genuine connection with one’s self, family, loved ones and nature not just inspiring destination centric images. We had to work with no script, as Nick wanted to follow real families enjoying the Island. It was a huge leap of faith, but I trusted him implicitly.”
Director Nick Leary believed there was real value in Hamilton Island’s legacy with holidaymakers and the fact that so many people had fond memories – and hence wanted to give a visual nod to the ‘old-school’ memories through cinematic techniques as well as the use of two old-fashioned props – a pet rock and a hand-made toy sailing boat.
Says Leary: “My father always told me that life is about the little things, and it’s something I’ve held onto personally and in my work. These little props that feature throughout, are a reminder that the joy of reconnection can result from just going back to basics and enjoying simple little things together.”
The advertising activity for the new creative will commence on the 26th of December across cinema, TV, print and social media channels.
21 Comments
Just like us…..empty.
(oh.. and you can’t swim in the water or you risk being killed by the jelly fish)
This is the final section of Disney Lands “It’s a Small World” ride… the last section where everyone’s white, smiling in Heaven!
Who can afford to take their young family on a holiday like that!
Who can afford to take their young family on a holiday like that!
Couldn’t even last 6 seconds.
The perfect, white family don’t exi-
Great song!
https://twitter.com/abctv/status/999205794544541696?lang=en
@Dan, I’ve now retired and bought Ireland.
It could be almost terme a “feat” to make such an amazing place into such a vacuous, boring film. To claim that Hamilton Island caters to all types of people and incomes is not reflected in an all-Anglo, mono-cultural piece of puffery, or showing a bunch of friends having a celebratory dinner on the beach. Yes, it’s meant to be aspirational, but does it have to be bullshit too?
You wanted to show how Hamilton Island has changed by going for closer, tighter shots with virtually no backdrop?
Did the two guys hook up? Can’t wait for part 2
I really like it. Lots of white. White sand, white skin, white linen, white wedding, white white white.
To the brainwashed libtards screaming about diversity – do you think audiences demand to see fewer brown people on their ads in India, or fewer black people on their ads in Nigeria? How about China, do you think they’re demanding to see fewer Asians? What the hell is wrong with you? White people are a tiny minority in the world but they just happen to be the majority in Australia (why do we need to be sorry about that?). They are put in an ad like this because they represent the demographic the advertiser chasing, not because there is a vicious plan to oppress minorities (remember the world is overwhelmingly not white, so who is really in the minority?). Pull your heads out of your asses and stop demanding your own destruction – it will come soon enough anyways without you baying for it at every opportunity. Ask yourselves – is it OK to be white? If you answered no, then you are 1. a racist. 2. a ‘progressive/leftist/socialist/communist’. The Left has done enormous damage across many societies throughout history. Despite the tainted garbage you learned in high school, Hitler was a socialist (hint, it’s in the name of his party). I firmly believe it is OK to be white, except in loonie libtard land where you’ve been sold the lie that being white automatically makes you an oppressor. But feel free to demand more immigration and culture-mixing – because that’s what Sam Dastyari and George Soros would want. It will give us ‘harmony in diversity’ or some other cognitively dissonant catchphrase you heard Sandi Toksvig say once. This is not a game. Think.
Trump is about to go to jail ….LOL
Very 80s, and covered in client fingerprints.
Rob, you stand out like a sore thumb.
Clearly the ad is aimed at over-50’s who yearn for the days of yesteryear, when there were no Muslims or Asians living in their street, who hope their white children and white grandchildren holiday in good ol’ safe Hamilton Island, where no bad things happen because it’s only white people who go there.
1 in 5 Australians were born in non-english speaking countries. 75% identify with backgrounds other than ‘Australian’, be it Asian, Greek, etc.
This ad is literally omitting those people. They’re not even represented as extras ijn the background.
No one is saying it’s not OK to be white, but I am certainly saying that it is not OK for a brand to exclude the diversity that makes up the majority of this great country.
Hats off to them for including a gay couple – that ticks the ‘high disposable income’ box for the client.
There are plenty of people in Australia who can afford a trip to Hamilton Island, not just Crazy Rich White People.
“This ad is literally omitting those people.”
Oh no, somebody call the office of mandatory inclusion.
Where in the advertising charter does it state the every ad must include every possible demographic?
As, usual, Leftard has zhis head firmly up zher own ass.
This is rubbish and boring work.
It does nothing to deliver on the so called strategy and what the “respondents” (if that counts as research) had to say.
And wow it’s white. I’ve actually not seen an ad in recent times more disconnected from culture. 49% of Australians are born or have a parent born overseas – you’re foolish to exlclude your target audience from your advertising.
“Remember why” does nothing to introduce the new and improved Hamilton, it reminds people about the good old days, the white and boring days 🙂
Who dafuq is Rob?
Did not appreciate this right wing propaganda piece, at all. Only thing missing was Donald and Pauline.
I just saw this ad in the cinema and laughed out loud. What a shocker , I’m white as and am still shocked at its whiteness. Just waiting for the parody version where the end logo is changed.