They have been hard to miss – TV commercials with colourful images of coastal Newfoundland and Labrador and a warm invitation to visit.
That tourism marketing campaign by the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, called Find Yourself, was recently awarded three Adrian Awards.
The awards, presented by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), are meant to recognize achievements in advertising, public relations, and digital marketing in the travel industry.
The province was awarded Silver for the Find Yourself television campaign, Silver for its complete campaign, and Bronze in the multimedia series category.
“As a government, we are delighted with the tremendous success this incredible marketing campaign has garnered for the province,” said Terry French, Newfoundland’s minister of Tourism, Culture, and Recreation. “It has become one of the most recognizable advertising campaigns in the country, and we take great pride in knowing we have firmly established the Newfoundland and Labrador brand as a premiere tourism destination.”
Since its launch in 2006, the Find Yourself campaign has won 210 awards. Forty of those, including five Platinum awards, have been awarded by HSMAI.
The campaign has created a surge in visitors to the province, with non-resident visitation rising by 21 per cent between 2009 and 2012. The province also saw tourism spending surpass $1 billion in 2011. As a result, the province is well ahead of schedule in meeting its Vision 2020 goal of increasing tourism spending to $1.6 billion annually.
