Dunedin campaign beckons northerners
28 February 2004
By BLAIR MAYSTON

Are you ready for Dunedin life?
That is the question the Dunedin City Council will be asking from tomorrow as it launches a new stage of its "I am Dunedin" advertising campaign.


This time it is aimed at North Islanders and seems set to raise the eyebrows of officials in some cities.

"We are saying to North Islanders, Dunedin is where you should be if you want a life that's worth living," city strategy and development general manager Peter Brown said yesterday.

Television advertisements screening from tomorrow show frustrated motorists stuck in traffic jams viewing billboards promoting Dunedin, while listening to testimonials from people who recently moved to the southern city.

"We all know that in some cities you have to compromise your lifestyle because of the hustle and bustle of the place," Mr Brown said.

"What we're saying is that in Dunedin you can have all the benefits of a city lifestyle, but without the downsides."

The campaign was expected to raise eyebrows among city officials in the North Island struggling to combat traffic congestion, but Mr Brown insisted it was not negative.

"The campaign will be viewed as competitive. Other cities will be running to catch up."

The campaign is aimed at those with skills in short supply in Dunedin, such as engineering, the trades, health, education and business services.

City marketing team leader Jennifer Hooker said 15 second teaser spots, asking "Are You Ready?", had run in Wellington and Auckland on TVNZ and TV3 and nationally on Sky Television since the start of the month.

The full launch tomorrow will see expanded television advertising and print advertisements in business and lifestyle magazines, Wellington's Dominion-Post, Auckland's New Zealand Herald and the Sunday Star-Times.

Advertisements will also be placed on buses, and billboards will go up on heavily-used Wellington and Auckland roads.

The campaign was created by the council in co-operation with Dunedin creative people, and costs were met within the city's $510,000 promotions budget.

The council says it is the first time a big New Zealand city has taken a promotional campaign to competing cities by targeting the desired people.