Influencers turn ‘unfluencers’ in new Esperance tourism campaign

Two Western Australian influencers have become ‘unfluencers’ while travelling in Esperance, deliberately NOT posting about the destinations incredible beaches and scenery as part of a new tourism campaign.

303 MullenLowe and Mediahub Perth have enlisted the massive social media presences of Rahnee Bransby and Zak Hasleby to promote the idea of a break from the online world and a holiday in Esperance.

Often seen as the perfect antidote to city life, the new integrated campaign using the ‘So Far, So Good’ tagline aims to promote travel to the region in the quieter Autumn and Spring seasons, positively highlighting its distance as a way to truly disconnect.

The influencers have been experiencing everything the region has to offer with family and friends. But in a campaign twist, they pledged not to post or use social media, giving them the chance to connect with the location and people they are with, rather than their followers.

“We’re constantly connected to our technology – the dopamine drip of social media, the endless alarm of news alerts, and the constant pull of a workplace that’s always within arm’s reach,” head of strategy, 303 MullenLowe, John Linton, said.

“But increasingly, we’re not connected to the aspects of real life and the people within it that are most important to us.

“And this is where Esperance comes in. It’s the perfect place to disconnect in order reconnect with what’s most important.”

A partnership has also been forged with Nova 937. Breakfast host, Nat Locke (who’s also an Esperance local), who checked in with the unfluencers before and after their trip, with Nova also encouraging all of Perth to ‘Pledge to Not Post’ to go into a draw to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Esperance.

“Esperance already has incredible online exposure; it was recently ranked 12^thin the world for internet love and has thousands of tagged photos across different social platforms,” GM, Mediahub Perth, Kylie Macey, said.

“Talking about the impact the social media ‘break’ had on our unfluencers has also generated strong conversation among people that might otherwise only see the classic ‘beach shots’ that Esperance is so famous for.

“Taking away the ability to post while visiting Esperance also meant we found other ways to reach our audiences, with radio, owned and earned media and fast to market content becoming more of a focus. We’re excited to see how far and wide the reach of our unfluencers will be.”

KV Unfluencer 2. (Supplied)

Rahnee Bransby said, “It was definitely hard. I’ve been in this industry for seven years of my life, so not having my phone there to shoot was interesting… and a little bit uncomfortable.”

“I just had to reassure myself that all the precious memories that I made were going to be locked up (in my head) and not in my phone. And I think that’s really beautiful because it’s something special that Shani (Rahnee’s travel companion) and I can hold on to, just for ourselves.”

The unfluencer campaign was developed for regional tourism organisation Australia’s Golden Outback (AGO). 303 MullenLowe and Mediahub Perth previously worked with representatives of AGO as part of the ‘Queens on the Edge’ campaign to promote the South West Edge. AGO CEO Marcus Falconer said because Esperance was already known across the globe for its beaches, it was important also to support all of the region’s businesses and tourism operators, and promote a broader picture of what the town had to offer.

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Esperance tourism western australia