Auckland 100% Pure You campaign targets Australians

Auckland takes centre-stage in a $1.2 million 100% Pure You marketing campaign launched today by Tourism New Zealand and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED).

The six week campaign comes hot-on-the-heels of Rugby World Cup 2011, which put Auckland on the map and generated significant hype in Australia for the city and its surrounds.

ATEED Manager Tourism Jason Hill says the campaign aims to drive an increase in holiday visitors and encourage people to stay longer and do more in the diverse Auckland region.

"The great profile generated through Rugby World Cup provides a perfect platform for us to boost awareness of the range of Auckland experiences and prompt bookings for the peak summer season," he says.

Tourism New Zealand and ATEED ran a similar Australian campaign in April and May this year. Its popular TV commercial will feature in the current campaign and air on Australia's east coast.

This will be supported by cinema advertising, a strong online promotion and Auckland-specific deals to help convert awareness into bookings.

Tourism New Zealand General Manager Marketing Communications Justin Watson says partnership and collaboration are part of the organisation's strategic priorities.

"Through partnership we can increase our marketing impact to achieve solid results," he says.

"By collaborating with ATEED we aim to maximise conversion rates in Australia."

Australia is Auckland and New Zealand's largest visitor market. For the year ending September 2011 over 1.1million trans-Tasman neighbours visited New Zealand. More than half of them (662,393 or 58.9 per cent) arrived via Auckland, accounting for more than a third (36.8 per cent) of total arrivals to New Zealand's largest city.