Start Feeling It – Campaign and Website

In January 2020, the devastating Black Summer fires encircled the Sapphire Coast NSW, resulting in visitor evacuation and business shut-down. COVID-19 then hit just a few months later, resulting in travel bans, new mandatory regulations for businesses and interstate border closures, most notably the prolonged VIC-NSW border closure that locked out the majority of the Sapphire Coast NSW visitor market.

The Start Feeling It campaign was developed to provide a solution for responsible destination marketing through the COVID-19 pandemic, with the ability to quickly pivot messaging to reflect dynamic circumstances. Furthermore, Start Feeling It was focused on leveraging local businesses who could offer their products and services online, thus elevating existing product into the online space and increasing local industry resilience.

The Brief

Develop and implement a digital recovery campaign to help the Sapphire Coast NSW community rebuild post Black Summer 2020, to help showcase local product online and to drive future visitation to the Sapphire Coast NSW post COVID-19.

The Approach

The Destination Agency developed:

• Start Feeling It campaign site / micro site
• Branded Start Feeling It shared image library for local stakeholders / industry operators
• Start Feeling It video content
• Social media organic and paid content (Facebook and Instagram)
• Google search and display ads
• Media and PR activity

The Outcome

The campaign elevated the Sapphire Coast NSW online presence, showcased local businesses whose online offerings appealed to the visitor market, and spread the message that the Sapphire Coast NSW is an ideal domestic tourism destination to discover and rediscover once travel is back on the cards.

The Result

The campaign is ongoing. Visit the Start Feeling It campaign site here.

Services