Virgin Australia and Tourism Tasmania launches ‘The Tassie Tux’ activation via one green bean

A partnership between Virgin Australia and Tourism Tasmania encouraging Aussies to embrace their wild winter wanderlust has seen visitation to the Apple Isle soar in what is normally a quiet travel period during their Off Season.

 

One Green Bean (ogb) created ‘The Tassie Tux’ partner activation, to stimulate demand with a creative idea to encourage Aussies to embrace the wild revelry of Tasmania as their winter destination of choice. Alongside Virgin Australia, the airline of choice for an uninhibited and refreshing escape.

The campaign saw ogb forge a partnership between Virgin Australia and P.E. Nation to create a limited edition ‘Tassie Tux’; a black puffer jacket/vest and unofficial uniform of the island state. Encouraging travellers to embrace the best of Tassie’s Off Season and wake up this winter. ‘The Tassie Tux – what to wear when you come down for air’.

Following teaser content created in collaboration with P.E. Nation, the campaign launched on 1 June – Virgin Australia’s first winter flight to Tassie, aligning perfectly with Tasmania’s Off Season – with a ‘Black Tie’ in the sky event produced in partnership with Havas Boulevard.

Prior to departure guests were gifted a limited-edition Tassie Tux and invited to enjoy the wilderness takeover of the lounge which included unique Tasmanian musical entertainment and a Tassie twist on a sparkling water bar sourced from the purest of Tassie springs. Once on board the flight to Hobart, guests were greeted with more entertainment and curated in-flight local Tassie delicacies.

To ensure Tasmanian destination content was captured and amplified, hand-picked travel, lifestyle and fashion influencers, content creators and media engaged in immersive family overnight visits.

The campaign saw Virgin Australia’s bookings for inbound passengers to Tasmania soar 229% above target, flight searches increase 118% over the prior three-month period and multi-touch return on ad spend (ROAS) grow 28% over the prior quarter.

Media relations through Enthral generated 46 pieces of editorial coverage spanning national news, digital and radio, reaching a potential audience of more than 47m, with influencer content generating $359k in earned value, and more than 250+ social posts reaching 6.5m. A Virgin Australia social competition clocked up 40k visits and 23k unique entries, with organic content reaching 102k on VA’s Instagram.

Says Amber Abbott, general manager, ogb: “It’s not every day you get to bring three iconic brands together to earn attention for the incredible experiences on offer in our country. In Tasmania, winter is the best kept secret and its exciting to see the impact of this campaign in encouraging more visitors to experience it for themselves.”

Says Libby Minogue, CMO, Virgin Australia: “Tasmania is a key destination for us as we continue to write a new chapter in our transformation journey at Virgin Australia. Winter in Tasmania is one of the best kept secrets in Australia. It is wild and wonderful and the Off Season campaign encouraged mainlanders to experience it for themselves. We enjoyed partnering with Tourism Tasmania and P.E Nation to create a limited-edition Tassie Tux to keep warm as they explored the state’s natural beauty, sights, and festivals.”

Creative Agency: one green bean
Event Production: Havas Boulevard
Media Relations: Enthral