Tourism NZ unveils Hobbit campaign

The Hobbit movies are filmed in New Zealand

Tourism New Zealand is aiming to tap into the popularity of the forthcoming Hobbit movies with a new international marketing drive.

The ’100% Middle Earth, 100% Pure New Zealand’ campaign kicks off with the release of Tourism NZ’s new TV and cinema commercial, ahead of the release of Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’.

The tourist board said the new campaign targets “all potential travellers to New Zealand”.

“Millions of people have seen The Lord of the Rings trilogy and we expect millions more to watch The Hobbit trilogy,” said Tourism NZ’s Chief Executive, Kevin Bowler. “Our objective is to show people that while New Zealand stars as the fantasy world of Middle Earth, what people see in the cinema is actually a real place just waiting to be explored. 

“The campaign’s primary aim is to compel people already interested in a New Zealand holiday, to make an actual booking,” he added.

Tourism New Zealand’s website will feature dedicated Middle Earth pages and drive its offers to travel agents and tour operators. The ad will launch in Australia this weekend and will roll out to the UK including cinema slots when The Hobbit is released in December. See it below. 

By Amanda Greenwood, 24 August 2012, Friday 10:34 AM