Tourism Tasmania and Publicis Groupe’s Starcom have launched a content series partnership with Guardian Australia.
The publisher, a certified B-Corporation, was chosen to partner with Tourism Tasmania because of the tourism authority’s focus on sustainability and positive impact.
‘Tales from the Island’ showcases Tasmania as a cultural hub and highlights the state’s paddock-to-plate food and drink offering, range of wilderness adventures, and strong arts and festival scene.
The partnership, part of Tourism Tasmania’s ‘Come Down for Air’ integrated campaign, created by BMF, includes a series of original feature articles, audio and visual guides, social videos and an immersive content hub published on Guardian Australia’s branded content website, The Guardian Labs.
The content partnership is also supported by amplification across The Guardian Labs Australia’s social media channels.
Tourism Tasmania’s CEO Sarah Clark said the partnership will tell the stories of the people and communities behind the unique experiences and produce on offer.
“We hope these stories inspire Australians to become ‘winter people’ and come and experience Tasmania in the cooler months.”
Mina Savjak, Starcom Australia’s business director, said the partnership aligns with Tourism Tasmania’s values as a brand and tourism organisation.
“We are proud to have brought together these two strong cultural brands to create engaging and quality content for our audience and consumers.”
Guardian Australia’s content and strategy director, Justine O’Donnell, added that she was proud of the Guardian Labs team for their creative output for the ‘Tales from the Island’ series.
She noted that the series showcases what the team does well, which is “genuinely interesting and insightful editorial with the premium quality our audience has come to expect.”
“This content partnership allowed us to surface original tales from the island state, with authentic local voices, timely stories and unique Tasmanian experiences packaged in visually impactful and engaging formats,” she continued.
“It’s perfectly crafted to pique the interest of our culturally savvy audience, ensuring deep engagement with the content and salience for Tourism Tasmania.”
At a national level, Tourism Australia’s creative and digital pitch continues – a five-year contract is set to be announced before July 2024. The incumbent for creative is M&C Saatchi and incumbent for digital is Publicis’ Digitas.