Remote Control Tourist
Tourism Victoria
Issue 29 | December 2013
Agency
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
Creative Team
Creative Chairman James McGrath Executive Creative Director Ant Keogh Creative Directors Julian Schreiber Tom Martin Senior Creative Team Luke Thompson Clark Edwards Client Service Director Simon Lamplough Group Account Director Brett Williams Account Director Kate Forster Account Manager Magda Pabich Executive Producer Sonia von Bibra Digital Creative Pete Hutchison Data Strategist Carl Oldham Senior Digital Producer Louise Sergent Senior Developer Nigel Dunn Craft Jake Turnbull Print Producer Michael Travers Head of Craft Simon Redwood Senior Planner Matt Kingston Social Lead Nathan Rogers Branded Content Editor Ben Birchall
Production Team
Tool of North America Director Jason Zada Head of Digital Production Joy Zuraitis Senior Digital Producer Adam Baskin Line Producer Steven Steiner Senior Developer Jason Nickel Managing Partner EP Digital Dustin Callif President Brian Latt
Other Credits
Tourism Victoria CEO Leigh Harry General Manager, Destination & Product Marketing Dorana Wirne Group Manager Brand Strategy & Advertising Nicole Bradley
Date
October 2013
Background
Tourism Victoria had a clear vision about how the tourism industry could increase its economic and social contribution to the state. The ambition was to increase tourism revenues to A$24.7 billion by 2020.
Idea
Four tourists in Melbourne were equipped with bicycles, GPS backpacks, handheld computers and with live-streaming cameras. At www.remotecontroltourist. com, potential visitors to Melbourne could explore the city through these four people on the ground. Via Facebook and Twitter, they could tell the remotely-controlled tourists where to go and what to do
there. Eat, drink, give passers-by hugs and high-fives, the tourists responded to most requests. Live-streamed video allowed their handlers and all viewers on the website to share the experiences and see the many different sights of the city, from the cricket ground through to its designer shops and coffee bars.
The action lasted over five days in October, the Remote Control Tourists responding to visitors and requests from around the world, their movements recorded on video, in bespoke maps and across social media.
Results
The four Remote Control Tourists visited 321 businesses, travelled 109 kilometers, received 8,700 requests and recorded over 80 hours of video.
Though primarily aimed at attracting visitors from Sydney, the website attracted a global audience.
People from over 158 countries and 3,888 cities checked out the website during the five days providing more than 103,000 hits and over 150,000 visits to YouTube videos so far.
There was also extensive international media coverage for the uniqueness of the campaign which was a great advertisement for the creativity of Melbourne.
All the video content is still available on the website for visitors to watch.
Our Thoughts
It’s a bit of a theme in this issue of Directory, the blurring of lines between real and virtual. The genius of the idea is it was all about real people really at your bidding and how cool is that? To be in total command of another human being. Fantastic. The four remotely-controlled tourists were made to eat 11 burgers and knock back 63 drinks. The fact the activation lasted just five days made it news as well with stories in online and offline media across its duration.
I can’t help feeling this sort of ‘go before you go’ approach will soon be much copied in the tourism industry. I also can’t help feeling this will win plenty of awards for the agency. It’s Innovative, yes, but the technology is at the service of an idea rather than it being the other way round.