Grampians gives serious BDE to revive tourism post-bushfires in latest campaign via littleBIG
In a bold move to promote tourism after the devastating summer bushfires, Grampians Wimmera Mallee Tourism recently launched its “BDE (Big Deal Energy)” campaign, conceived and executed by full service agency littleBIG.
The campaign, aimed to stimulate new bookings and visitation to the region, grabbed attention online and directed travel dreamers straight to a selection of great deals from across the Grampians region. With both cheeky image selection and copy, it exclaimed, “We’re giving BDE – Big Deal Energy”, replacing the “D” word from that other viral BDE concept.
With the region’s peak summer tourism trade wiped out by two consecutive summers of bushfires, stimulating new bookings and visitation was an urgent priority for industry recovery.
“We needed a campaign with immediacy to help replenish operators’ businesses after massive losses. This one was about getting as many clicks to the deals page, and hence bookings, as quickly as possible. It had to be bold and get you to act. No mucking about and littleBIG delivered,” says Grampians Wimmera Mallee Tourism CEO Marc Sleeman.
Not just a catchy tagline, the campaign effectively highlighted the natural appeal, diverse accommodation, unique attractions and myriad food and wine experiences within the region, all key to the destination marketing strategy.
“We wanted to be playful and upfront to inspire confidence and action. We wanted to counter any perceptions that the Grampians weren’t still beautiful, accessible and a great time post-fires. It’s an awesome place, with a great energy and great people and places to visit, all year ‘round,” says Sally Harley, littleBIG Founder & Director.
“Colloquially, it’s got BDE and you want to be around that.”
Harley also emphasised the importance of strong creative for this digital campaign: “It needed to do a lot with a little. Powerful creative was crucial yet there was certainly no budget for a shoot or other high production. We have great digital operators but if you give them a Maserati to drive rather than a Mazda, that’s where the real results come in on a tight budget.”
The campaign ran across Meta, TikTok, Google Display and YouTube, resulting in a 130% uplift in new website users and a lift in Operator Booking actions from the site of more than 70% during the campaign period.
Adds Sleeman: “It’s been an extremely positive, tangible step towards revitalising our tourism industry since the fires and there’s lots to come from here.”
Many deals are still on offer. Visitors are encouraged to explore them and book at https://www.visitgrampians.com.au/deals.
