It’s no secret to anyone that knows AFFINITY well that the Effies mean a lot. A LOT.
The Effies loom large on our horizon in that they celebrate the very reason we exist: marketing and advertising that can unequivocally demonstrate it delivered a positive effect for the business or cause.
With this in mind, we’re thrilled to have been awarded with our fourteenth ever Effie; a shiny new bronze in the Travel, Leisure & Media category, for Tourism Central Coast.
We knew we had an awesome task in not only shifting perception, but also driving behaviour for the Central Coast. We were able to create first party data to validate a strategic positioning and build a brand that would literally push people from their couch to the Coast.
We actively championed the creative use of data to build successful brand strategies and smart creative for big outcomes; in this case, to the tune of increasing tourism by $186 million (as at March 2019).
In the words of our CEO, Luke Brown, “Our success with this approach for the Coast proves that it doesn’t have to be about terabytes of complex data, driven by AI and algorithms along with expense to deliver effective data-driven strategies. It’s about being smart with data. Media-led insight driven by new collection methods and clever analysis beats over-complication every time”.
So, what was it that won us the recognition at the Effies this year?
The Central Coast, NSW. If you lived in Sydney in 2017 chances are you had nothing good to say about it. We developed an integrated marketing initiative that transformed the Central Coast from Central Bogan to “Tourism Boom” in just nine months. How did we change perceptions so dramatically and efficiently? We developed a unique method to create 1st party data and empirically test strategic brand positionings. Our data-driven insight underpinned a broad campaign from TVC to website development and community engagement that generated $186M in additional tourism. Our Effie entry was designed to showcase how using data in new ways delivered the Central Coast’s highest-ever tourism numbers (over $1 billion) and a 22% increase.
We are all so proud of what we’ve been able to achieve for the Central Coast – our team is dedicated to finding resourceful and meaningful ways to move the needle for our clients every single day. Their infallible energy and determination coupled with the trust and support of our client makes these kinds of results possible.
Around since 1968, the Effie Awards are nowadays recognised by advertisers and agencies alike as the pre-eminent award in the advertising industry. The Effies are now held in 51 countries around the world with 2 regional programmes as well as a global competition.
We’re thrilled to have our little piece of this year’s effectiveness elite.
