Podcast Summary: Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly

Episode Title: S4E15 – Tourism Marketing
Release Date: April 12, 2015
Host: Terry O’Reilly (Apostrophe Podcast Network)

Episode Overview

In this rich and engaging episode, Terry O’Reilly explores the fascinating, high-stakes world of tourism marketing—one of the largest, most emotionally driven sectors of the ad industry. O’Reilly unravels the secrets behind some of the world’s most successful tourism campaigns, demonstrating how powerful storytelling, creative slogans, and a bit of luck can dramatically transform a city, state, or nation’s ability to attract visitors (and their dollars). From the quirky origins of the Michelin Guide to Iceland’s missing tourist campaign, Queensland’s legendary “Best Job in the World” contest, New Zealand’s “Middle Earth” transformation, and Borat’s unintended consequences for Kazakhstan, the episode reveals why the best tourism marketing takes travelers on a journey before they even arrive.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Michelin Guide: A Tire-Driven Travel Revolution

[02:47–06:07]

• Edouard and Andre Michelin, founders of the Michelin tire company, needed people to drive more so they'd buy more tires.
• In 1900, they created the Michelin Guide to encourage automobile travel, offering repair tips, maps, and listings for gas stations and mechanics.
• Sharp Insight: In 1920, after seeing his free guide used to prop up a workbench, Andre Michelin decided to charge for it:

  “Man only respects what he pays for.”

• The Michelin Guide added restaurant/hotel listings (1920), then its now-famous star system (1926).
  • 1 star: worth a stop
  • 2 stars: worth a detour
  • 3 stars: worth a special trip
• The Michelin star became a global symbol of quality—demonstrably powerful enough to move people across continents.

Big Stakes, Big Ideas: The Essence of Tourism Marketing

[06:25–11:53]

• Tourism rivals oil, finance, and agriculture in global economic impact.
• Most tourism marketing fails because it simply bombards with locations, neglecting emotional connection.
• Ohio’s RFP for a new campaign was brutally honest, admitting to “random acts of marketing” and calling for emotion-driven distinction.
  • Notable Quote:

    “We need to capture the emotional qualities that make Ohio distinctive.”

• O’Reilly notes that great taglines are rare and difficult to craft—his personal copywriting “purgatory.”

Case Study: "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas"

[07:54–12:31]

• Las Vegas was threatened by the spread of casinos elsewhere—needed a powerful emotional hook.
• Research revealed the city's unique allure: a place to become “someone you can’t be at home—and do it guilt free.”
• This insight birthed the iconic slogan and TV spots, where secrets (and stories) abound.
  • Illustrative Ad: Woman erases part of her Vegas postcard; couple consults a doctor about a week “erased” from memory.
• Immediate impact: Las Vegas broke tourism records; the slogan “became part of pop culture.”
  • Laura Bush even joked on The Tonight Show:

    “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” [11:39]

• Reaction: The mayor embraced the line, saying,
  > “Anybody who wouldn’t come to Vegas because they don’t like the slogan, I don’t want them here.”

Iceland: The Tourist Who Searched for Herself

[14:22–16:45]

• The campaign was sparked by a true, comical incident: a woman went “missing” on a tour, only to discover she was in the search team (she’d changed clothes and was unrecognized).
• Headlines like “Tourist in Iceland Spends Weekend Finding Herself” inspired the tourism board to launch a contest:
  • Visitors wrote stories of “finding themselves” in Iceland to compete for free trips.
  • The story’s humor and humanity brought international attention.
  • The contest remains a staple of Icelandic tourism marketing.

Queensland’s "Best Job in the World"

[16:47–20:53]

• With a tiny $1M ad budget, Queensland created a classified ad for a 6-month “caretaker” job on Hamilton Island (Great Barrier Reef):
  • Duties: Blog, take care of housekeeping, enjoy island life.
  • Salary: $110,000, with a beachfront home.
  • Applicants submitted one-minute videos.
• Media sensation:
  • Over 1,100 US TV stories in 2 days, 8 million website hits, 34,000 applications globally.
  • $1M spend yielded an estimated $110M in media value.
  • Tourism up 20% despite the global financial crisis.
  • Winner Ben Southall’s blogging provided months of coverage.
  • Lesson: Big impact comes from big ideas, not big budgets.

New Zealand Goes "100% Middle Earth"

[22:08–25:52]

• Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films showcased New Zealand’s landscapes.
• Initially, New Zealand’s tourism body resisted linking to the films, holding to the "100% Pure New Zealand" campaign—until government intervention.
• The solution:
  • Combined the brands as “100% Middle Earth is 100% Pure New Zealand.”
  • Campaign assets:
    • Peter Jackson-narrated travel video [24:21].
    • Weather report broadcast in Elvish on Hobbit premiere day.
    • Passport stamps read: “Welcome to Middle Earth.”
    • Air New Zealand “Airline of Middle Earth”—even included themed in-flight safety videos.
• Results:
  • Video got 11 million views in 3 months; campaign won global travel marketing awards.
  • 16% increase in tourism—13% directly credited the campaign.

Borat and Kazakhstan: Accidental Tourism Boom

[26:34–28:57]

• Sacha Baron Cohen’s "Borat" film depicted Kazakhstan satirically; the government responded with outrage and attempted bans.
• Odd effect:
  • Kazakhstan became globally infamous overnight.
  • Foreign visa applications/interest spiked 10-fold; tourism up 13%.
  • Government later publicly “thanked Borat” as Kazakh foreign minister said,

    “It’s a blessing in heavy disguise.”

Core Insights and Episode Takeaways

• Storytelling wins: The best tourism campaigns aren’t montages of landmarks, but immersive stories—a lesson echoed from Ohio’s honest RFP to the world’s most successful campaigns.

  “The best tourism campaigns capture the emotion of the destination… campaigns we talked about today were built around stories.” [28:57]

• Emotional resonance matters: People are moved to travel when marketers tap into desires for adventure, fantasy, humor, or self-discovery.
• Resourcefulness trumps resources: Queensland’s viral idea outpaced rivals with less than 1/80th of Vegas’s budget.
• Pop culture is power: Strategic pop culture partnerships (New Zealand’s Hobbit tie-in) and even unintentional viral moments (Kazakhstan/Borat) can transform a tourism brand overnight.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Man only respects what he pays for.” – Andre Michelin [05:27]
• “People considered Vegas as an adult Disneyland.” – Terry O’Reilly [09:13]
• “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” – Laura Bush (via Jay Leno) [11:49]
• “Tourist in Iceland spends weekend finding herself.” – Icelandic news headline [15:36]
• “It’s not how much you spend, it’s how big your idea is.” – Terry O’Reilly, on Queensland [20:46]
• “100% Middle Earth is 100% Pure New Zealand.” – Campaign tagline [24:07]
• “It’s a blessing in heavy disguise.” – Kazakhstan press secretary [28:55]
• “People love stories. They don’t love commercials with fast edits showing as much stuff as possible in 30 seconds. Only marketing people sitting around a boardroom table do.” – Terry O’Reilly [29:20]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Summary | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:47–06:07| Michelin Guide origin and evolution—how a tire company kickstarted world travel marketing | | 06:25–07:54| Global impact of tourism and the flaws in most campaigns | | 07:54–12:31| Las Vegas: From commoditized resort to cultural phenomenon with "What Happens in Vegas" | | 14:22–16:45| Iceland: Missing tourist incident and the resulting campaign | | 16:47–20:53| Queensland’s clever “Best Job in the World” campaign | | 22:08–25:52| New Zealand: Hobbit movies, Middle Earth branding, and international accolades | | 26:34–28:57| Kazakhstan: Borat fallout turns into unexpected tourism windfall | | 28:57–30:50| Episode wrap-up: Emotional storytelling as the key to great tourism marketing |

Conclusion

This episode demonstrates that brilliant tourism marketing is less about budgets or checklists, and more about bold, resonant storytelling that sparks the imagination. Whether humor, fantasy, or a sense of adventure, the best campaigns take audiences on journeys of the mind—long before they buy a ticket.