Murray Moments

‘Murray Moments’ Flood Recovery Campaign

CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW & TOOLKIT

‘Murray Moments‘ is Murray Regional Tourism’s marketing campaign designed to support tourism businesses impacted by the recent floods by attracting bookings over the quieter winter/spring period and beyond.

Launched in June and running until the end of August, the campaign incorporates PR, digital and social media marketing, radio and a booking conversion partnership with Expedia and Wotif.

MRT have not received additional financial support to fund the campaign. After market research and industry feedback both during and following the floods, MRT recognised the need for intervention and approached the Victorian Government to seek a variation to our core funding agreement and instead allow us to support our industry’s most immediate need to attract visitors back to the region. MRT will continue to advocate on behalf of the tourism industry for government support. 

The campaign aims to leverage the momentum built by Visit Victoria’s ‘Stay Close, Go Further’ campaign and the Destination NSW ‘Beyond the River’ campaign, which have both focused on promoting the Murray region.

This campaign has been made possible with the support of the Victorian State Government and Destination Riverina Murray.

Consumer Landing Page Competition Page Industry Toolkit Expedia Landing Page Wotif Landing Page

 

CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES

  • Increase visitation to the Murray over the campaign period by attracting core visitor markets back to the region.
  • Rebuild consumer confidence following floods and COVID-19 border closures.
  • Increase appeal of the region and the intent to travel outside of the campaign period.
  • Grow awareness and engagement of the Visit the Murray brand to ensure long-term benefit to the region.

TARGET MARKETS

Our strategy for this campaign is to target traditional Murray visitor markets to encourage them to return to the region.

The Murray Habituals and Back to Basics market segments are the key existing markets for the Murray region. These segments are ambassadors for the region, will generally have an idea of where they like to visit and what activities interest them but need reassurance that the Murray is ready to welcome visitors back.

The campaign will target regional VIC/NSW/SA as well as Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra visitors.

CAMPAIGN CONCEPT

The central campaign theme is to invite visitors to plan, book, create and share ‘Murray Moments’ using a mix of creative executions centred on the core themes of nature, outdoor adventure, food and wine and arts, culture and heritage.

 

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?

There are lots of ways tourism businesses and locals can get involved in the campaign.

 

Share your Murray Moments

  • Join the conversation by using #murraymoments and #visitthemurray as well as your own hashtags, when sharing posts on social media. And more importantly, encourage your customers to do the same.
  • Include the campaign messaging in your communication; for example your social post on Facebook or Instagram showing your visitor experiences could utilise the following words: ‘Discover your Murray moment this winter and experience a taste of river life with this 2 day package.’ Use this toolkit to help you get started.
  • Become an ambassador for the region in which you live and work. Invite friends and family to visit the region and encourage those close to you to create and share stories using the #murraymoments hashtag.

Create or update your listing on ATDW

  • With all the campaign activity driving visitors to visitthemurray.com.au, now is the time to ensure your business is listed and your listing is up to date on ATDW.
  • MRT recently announced it successfully advocated for an extension of free ATDW listings for Murray tourism businesses due to the impact of floods.
  • For more information on creating an ATDW listing, go here.

 

Create a winter deal

  • Whether your business is located in Victoria or NSW, the information provided by Visit Victoria about uploading a deal to your ATDW listing is relevant. Follow the instructions here. All deals will be promoted on visitthemurray.com.au/deals and is one of the major call to actions from the Murray Moments landing page.

 

Consider listing on an OTA

  • While there is nothing better than direct bookings, many consumers are looking to book their travel using the online platforms that they know and trust. This campaign includes a conversion partnership with Expedia and Wotif to increase the overall bookings to the region. If your business is not listed, now could be a good opportunity to consider if this is right for you.

CAMPAIGN VIDEOS