Radio 6PR 

SIMON BEAUMONT:

But first up this morning on the program, Tourism Australia have just held a press conference, the Minister Martin Ferguson was there, I spoke to him a short time ago, and I asked him what the new tag line for Australia would be. This is how he responded.

MARTIN FERGUSON:

Good morning, and thanks very much, Simon.

SIMON BEAUMONT:

Can you tell us how we propose to sell Australia, is there one particular line we're going to use, is there a new campaign, Minister?

MARTIN FERGUSON:

Tourism Australia has got a new approach, it's about Australians themselves, promoting their ideal holiday place. Tourism Australia's tag line is, There's Nothing Like Australia. It's found each of us loading our first line image and stories about why we should actually go to Australia, basically telling the stories about what a wonderful, big country we've got, and where we actually have our own holidays.

SIMON BEAUMONT:

There's Nothing Like Australia, that's the new campaign line, where will we see that, how will that be used?

MARTIN FERGUSON:

Tourism Australia will be promoting it online, there'll be a marketing campaign to encourage Australians to actually tell their stories, and in doing so, clearly around Australia there'll be some prizes to actually encourage participation.

I think the campaign's designed to stimulate private sector investment, in converting people overseas's desire to actually come to Australia, to actually go online and participate in searching for all the wonderful stories about where you should go in Australia, and it's about Australians themselves stimulating international interest by basically saying that in terms of their own personal experience, there's nothing like Australia, and you should go to A, B, or C.

SIMON BEAUMONT:

Alright, There's Nothing Like Australia, so it starts with an online-type of campaign, will we see a television - like a 30 second-type ad that we've seen in previous years?

MARTIN FERGUSON:

No, it's an entirely different campaign, we're not going down the Lara Bingle strategy, that strategy's failed. It's about, I suppose, Tourism Australia adjusting to the changing nature of people actually personally researching where they want to go on a holiday, and more and more, they're doing it online.

The big bang marketing of the past is no longer relevant to the future, hopefully this is a launching pad that is sustainable over time, and in essence, it makes sense to engage Australians directly in promoting their country, because they can tell a story better than a Lara Bingle big bang advertising campaign.

SIMON BEAUMONT:

At the time, Minister, Lara Bingle was an unknown, how will you - or where will you draw people to tell their story, will you use high profile Australians? These friends of Australia, where will they come from?

MARTIN FERGUSON:

People all around Australia, we're not about high profile people, if high profile people want to go online, and tell the story about where they'd like to have a holiday, and how good it is, that'll be terrific, but I actually think the best thing is every day Australians actually getting on there, putting online the photos of their own personal experiences, and basically telling the world there's nothing like Australia, and here's my favourite spot.

SIMON BEAUMONT:

The press release that you've sent out today says that there will be some high profile people used, Dick Smith, Matt Moran, the chef, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, the film makers, Peter Fitzsimons, they're high profile people.

MARTIN FERGUSON:

They're high profile people, and you know, they'll help launch the initial phase of the campaign, but I think our real success is going to be ordinary Australians, those that are retired, those that are still at work, those who are young, basically getting online, and they like to do this, and talk about where their favourite holiday place is, in Australia.

So in the end, clearly some of the high profile people will help launch it, but you know, the salt of the earth of this country, ordinary Australians, they'll be our biggest promoters.

SIMON BEAUMONT:

Alright, so just finally, the mechanics of this, who will run this, and who will coordinate it, and who decides whether the stories are good enough to go up and be part of the campaign, Minister?

MARTIN FERGUSON:

Tourism Australia have obviously put in place appropriate mechanisms to stop the site being misused, and so they should be, because this is about Australia putting its best foot forward internationally, Australians themselves actually selling Australia, there'll be a big buy-in from State and Territory tourism organisations to support it, but more importantly, the industry itself, thinks this is a great opportunity, so a new start, but it's one that is sustainable over time. We can no longer afford to chop and change on international marketing.

SIMON BEAUMONT:

Yeah, good point, There's Nothing Like Australia, do you like it?

MARTIN FERGUSON:

There's Nothing Like Australia, it's now for you to go to air, and tell everyone what you're going to say when you go online, and promote Australia.

SIMON BEAUMONT:

Alright, thanks for your time, Minister, appreciate it.

MARTIN FERGUSON:

Nice to catch up.

SIMON BEAUMONT:

Hot off the press, we just spoke to Martin Ferguson just prior to coming on air this morning, the Tourism Minister. Do You Like It? There's Nothing Like Australia. You've heard it first, in Perth here, on the Morning program, and on 6PR, There's Nothing Like Australia, Do You Like It? Yes or no, 92211882, will it work overseas, will it work locally?

No more big, expensive Lara Bingle-type campaigns, this will be the campaign from hereon in, no changes, one consistent message, There's Nothing Like Australia.

And some of the - I guess the key fact is that 80 high profile people have committed to share their favourite Australian holiday stories with the world, so I guess what it'll be, it'll be a website, people can log on, or they'll see different stories from every day Australians, and some high profile Australians, talking about their favourite holiday destination. Will I like it? Do you?

Start saying it around the office, see how it feels, are you inclined to put that ocker accent on it? There's Nothing Like Australia, what do you think? Give me a call today on the Morning program, I'd really appreciate your thoughts on it, 92211882's our phone number.