2010
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation

In 2006 the Tourism Advertising Team was given a challenge – to develop a new brand and advertising campaign for the province in conjunction with Target Marketing. The team wanted to differentiate Newfoundland and Labrador and identify innovative ways to generate attention in the marketplace. First and foremost, to accomplish these goals, the industry had to be engaged. The Advertising Team had to convince and make believers of stakeholders that despite the risk, the direction would pay off.

The ‘Find Yourself Here’ campaign resulted in positioning the province as an exotic travel destination offering unique experiences and majestic landscapes. The campaign was a complete departure from traditional methods.

The Advertising Team also found an innovative way to garner attention in the marketplace with the ‘Fresh Air’ campaign which included a billboard of a clothesline on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto. The team also promoted the early adoption of social media as an important tourism marketing tool. These campaigns overseen and strategically guided by the Advertising Team have led Newfoundland and Labrador to become the ‘best practice’ for tourism advertising. Others now seek the team’s advice and expertise.

The ‘Find Yourself Here’ campaign has received over 100 awards nationally and internationally including the Tourism Industry Association of Canada award as Marketer of the Year in 2007. In 2010 the campaign won a gold CASSIE Award, a top recognition for advertising in Canada. Internationally, from 2009 to 2011 it has received multiple Adrian Awards sponsored by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, which honours creative talent and best practices in the hospitality industry as well as innovative approaches to advertising, public relations and web marketing.

These successful campaigns have contributes to an increase in non-resident tourism visitation by 10.3 per cent since 2006 and related spending has increased by 22 per cent. This has translated into higher occupancy rates in accommodations, more employment and more tax revenue. In 2010 Newfoundland and Labrador reached another milestone – 518,500 non-resident visitors meaning that the province, for the first time, had more visitors than residents! The success of these campaigns can not only be measured by economic benefits but equally as importantly the sense of pride it has strengthened among Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.