 Craig Hammond
Domestic Manager
craig@rotoruaNZ.com - DDI: +64 7 351 7102
Domestic Campaign Results in 13% Increase
As you may remember DRM worked together with Wotif.com on a recent campaign to entice more kiwis to visit Rotorua over the winter period. Local industry were invited to leverage off the campaign generated by a multi layered two week DRM and wotif advertising promotion including online, radio, social media and a Rotorua specific campaign landing page on wotif.com
We are very pleased to announce the following results generated from this campaign:
- 9916 Visitors to Rotorua landing page
- 6934 sign ups to DRM domestic database
- Year on year bookings growth: 13.6%
A full report is available – please contact Craig if you would like to receive the full version.
Another BIG win for Rotorua in Motorhome Rentals
As part of our strategy to target the International FIT RWC visitor, motorhome companies have been approached in an effort to get relevant Rotorua information into their channels to influence those in the planning stages but also looking at ways to have Rotorua information in their collection packs when the visitor arrives to pick up the vehicle.
From this work a proposal to Kea Motorhomes had previously been confirmed and now we are very pleased to announce THL too has recently accepted this offer. This will see our Rotorua promotional DVD heavily promoted within THL's Auckland and Christchurch offices where RWC customers can freely pick up a copy when collecting their vehicle.
 No. 1 Queen St. Update
We are underway!
Well after much planning we have now officially launched our Rotorua presence at No. 1 Queen St café in Auckland with a function held on 8th September to announce the fact Rotorua has arrived!
An invited guest list including media and key influencers were invited to celebrate the beginning of Rotorua's presence within Auckland for the duration of RWC and through into summer, helping us communicate our key messages as well as draw attention to the programme we have in place at No. 1.
It certainly was a fantastic night, well received by all who got to experience a taste of Rotorua and were excited to hear some of the plans we have for this campaign over the next few months. Part of this will now also cross over into our domestic PR campaign with future media famils and it's nice to see some of these results in media already.
What's been going on?
Plenty! A comprehensive radio campaign has started to aid in the awareness of our presence and activities at No1 Queen but also to reinforce the key messages being delivered to market. The stations involved are ZM, Classic Hits and ZB and promotion activity includes announcer mentions, promotional trailers, on site live air feeds, online exposure and prize giveaways.
The café has now been decorated in all things Rotorua with full window graphics, digital screens showcasing promotional footage, banners, plants, carvings and an OGO secured to the roof – you simply cannot miss us!
On-site activities from Rotorua attractions in combination with ZM black thunders have been a great way for us to draw more people to the site and also engage with people in the area.
The Rotorua Duck was parked next to the café for two days and ran tours through the city with its inaugural splash down into Auckland harbour. This was an amazing sight as tourists and Aucklanders heads spun to catch a glimpse of this impressive vehicle rolling through the city and its passengers quacking in full joy! Globe-riding has now been showcased too with the OGO team on site giving passers-by and radio winners the chance to hop in and race around a circuit next to the café.
Last week Wai Ora Resort have been providing 10 minute massages and pamper treatments for anyone coming down to visit the Rotorua site at No 1 Queen providing a short taste of the indulgent treatments available in Rotorua and definitely leaving them wanting more! The manuka tea served while guests waited in queue for their turn went down a treat. Classic Hits have been on site to help promote this with live feeds (one of which was made while receiving a massage!) and giving the listeners a chance to win various Rotorua experiences with their 'Rotorua Round Trip' winning wheel promotion!
Location, Location, Location
As expected the location was always key to our plans here and with the amount of foot traffic to date we are very pleased with the position and exposure we have been able to secure for Rotorua.
As you will be aware huge numbers congregated to this location on the opening night, the RWC rugby ball operated by TNZ is directly opposite, we have had a flash haka right outside our front door and the shear flow of visitors and Aucklanders coming through party central is providing an excellent opportunity for us to engage them about Rotorua. Flash mob Haka
We expect this to once again peak as the tournament heads into the finals stages with the games being hosted by Auckland.
Information Desk
 As part of plans to provide a back end to the promotional activity at No.1 we have put in place an information desk to not only assist with Rotorua enquiries but also be able to sell product on site. Our Rotorua i-SITE staff have been doing a fantastic job working on site 7 days a week and providing information for those considering heading down to Rotorua.
New Outdoor Station
Our newly printed portable outdoor information desk has arrived and is now in place on the front corner of the café footprint – Queen St and Quay St. Weather pending this now provides a station for our i-SITE staff to be positioned outdoors to make maximum benefit of the 25,000+ people walking past each day and certainly creates a more exposure benefits for the region.
500+ Visitors Assisted
Over 1200 Rotorua Visitor guides have now been taken from our brochure rack and we have recently passed the 500th visitor mark in terms of people our i-SITE team have directly provided information about Rotorua. Some of these have been willing to buy product on the spot, while others are happy with the information gained and planning to wait until they arrive in Rotorua. Either way we are making sure Rotorua is firmly in their plans and having the chance to inform them prior to actually arriving is helping us encourage longer lengths of stays.
If you have any new developments or news you would like communicated feel free to send through to Craig and we will make sure our staff on-site are kept up to date.
Pop in and Say Hi
Finally if you happen to be in Auckland for sales calls or any other reason feel free to drop by and check out the site. A number of you have expressed an interest to help out on various days which is fantastic and most welcome. If you would also like to do this please contact Craig and we can provide some dates where activities are taking place and go from there.
What's Coming Up?
 Rotorua Locals Week – VFR Campaign
Launched for the first time last year DRM co-ordinated a promotion which grouped the various local days being hosted by industry and promote it as a week long celebration – Rotorua Locals Week. This successful campaign involved over 20 local attractions and resulted in a 10% increase in Rotorua locals visiting attractions and activities
Once again we will drive this campaign with the main focus on domestic visiting friends and relatives (VFR) market in Rotorua, and developing local ambassadors with fresh experiences as hosts, timed to lead up to the peak VFR in summer.
Campaign Dates: 7th – 13th November
Opt In Deadline: 11th October
If you would like to be involved with this promotion this year we need to have your confirmation prior to 11th October. Please contact Craig if you would like further information.
Targeted Mailbox drop
As part of our plans to influence domestic visitor nights and spend we have scheduled a geo-targeted household mail drop to our domestic markets which will include key message material and bookable deals. This is set to be dispatched in November in time for the summer season, further details including opportunities for you to be included will be covered within the upcoming DRM Forum to be held on 13th October.
No 1 Queen St
- Taste Rotorua
Last week we moved into our Taste Rotorua theme. Auckland's cuisine media experienced a Taste of Rotorua (Tuesday Oct 4), enjoying the local culinary delights of blueberry pies, koura and venison. Also on Tuesday and Wednesday, the public will be invited to No. 1 Queen Street to sample venison sausages flavoured with indigenous herbs, Maori bread with dipping chutneys and Rotorua's Crouchers beers.
- Family week
Following on from the Taste Rotorua theme we start to move into school holidays and will adjust our on site programme to target families showcasing the range of experiences on offer in Rotorua for families looking for some holiday fun! Once again the Auckland ZM and Classic Hits radio stations will be layered over our planned activities with live feeds from the site and promoting 10 Rotorua family getaways to be won by listeners. |
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