Contiki embraces the drama in group travel
Gracie Otto's ‘On Contiki’ turns the travel company's reinvention into a mini drama.
If you're trying to persuade Gen Z that Contiki isn't simply the coach holiday their older sibling took around Europe, then making just another travel advert isn't the answer. Instead, the company created a mini TV show packed into a short ad series. It’s part White Lotus, part promotional film.
The most intriguing element of Contiki's ‘GO WANDER’ repositioning is ‘On Contiki’, a social-first vertical micro-drama directed by AACTA-winning filmmaker Gracie Otto and produced through DIVISION.
Set in Costa Rica, it follows four young international travellers who meet on a Contiki trip and go through all the usual mini dramas of friendship, adventure and the inevitable complications that arise when strangers are rapidly thrown together. Episodes include ‘Where's My Bag?’, ‘A Leap of Faith’ and ‘Truth or Dare?’.
The work accompanies a larger overhaul. 'GO WANDER' includes eight experience-led “Travel Worlds”, ranging from Local and Outdoors to Festivals and Luxe, alongside 76 ‘new or reimagined trips’.
Publicis Australia led strategy and creative, with Havas Media involved in the platform's development and integrated media.
Our take
The most interesting aspect here isn't the vertical video but Contiki recognising that its advertising problem is partly a perception problem.
The company's existing fame has seemingly worked against it because audiences may believe they already understand what a Contiki holiday is.
Contiki chief customer officer Toni Ambler described the opportunity as ‘shifting perceptions’, while discussing the company's need to build stronger relevance with Gen Z as millennials move beyond its 18-to-35 market.
So rather than tell younger people that Contiki has changed, ‘On Contiki’ attempts to ‘show’ the new experience in a novel format.
It comes as the traditional tourism film has been decidedly reinvented for modern audiences. We recently saw Visit Oslo continue its po-faced series of ads, very different from Contiki’s effort, but nonetheless a big departure from the traditional ‘by numbers’ appeals by destination marketers.
Contiki's drama, like Oslo’s, isn’t afraid to show that travel isn’t all glamour. Things can go wrong, and the unexpected is to be embraced. And more so: a holiday can be a social experience.
Credits
Brand: Contiki
Platform: GO WANDER
Series: On Contiki
Creative/strategy: Publicis Australia
Media: Havas Media
Director: Gracie Otto
Production representation: DIVISION
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