The domestic accolade for the internationally-distributed marketing materials, which promote Australia as a premier destination for international production, comes after Ausfilm’s international merchandising and advertising campaign won a host of awards from the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI), including best advertising campaign series in the world. With five AFCI Awards, Ausfilm’s marketing efforts won the most AFCI awards of any film commission in the world.
Working closely with merchandising consultants Walkin’ Promotions, Ausfilm sought a variety of branded items with real cut-through that would stand out in the highly competitive international film promotions sector while also drawing attention to Ausfilm’s website which was recently revamped and relaunched as part of the campaign, along with a total re-branding of the Ausfilm organisation.
Walkin’ Promotions designed products that represented key themes of the film industry, were distinctively Australian and had longevity of use. The products were used at a number of events over a 12-month period, including Australia, Hong Kong, London, Cannes and Los Angeles. Highlights were a Moonlight pen, perfect for film executives to make notes during screenings, ausfilm.com notebooks, LCD Film camera clocks and ausfilm.com radio-eskies.
The range helped deliver a 25.6% increase in visitors to the website over the 12 month period with specific spikes after international events at which the products were distributed.
‘The website hits were tracked over the entire year and we were thrilled with the increase that directly tied into our promotional product distribution. Most notably, our figures of visitors from China went through the roof after Ausfilm distributed our branded thongs at a major tradeshow in Hong Kong,’ said Ausfilm Marketing & Development Executive Jennifer Millington. ‘Congratulations to Walkin’ Promotions for again delivering award-winning concepts & items.’
‘Memorably eye-catching and distinctive merchandising and advertising were essential to getting Ausfilm’s message across to the international filmmaking community in today’s highly competitive environment,’ said Ausfilm Acting CEO Nick Coyle. ‘The cut-through delivered by this campaign is evidenced in the huge jump in ausfilm.com visitors and has been deservedly rewarded with these peak industry awards.’
The APPA judges were also generous in their praise of the merchandise, commenting: ‘The website hit results and spikes are impressive and tied directly to promotional product distribution. They designed interesting, useful items and subtly but effectively branded as well as choosing well suited products for the international target market.’