Jetsettersblog

Tourism Australia has teamed up with Google and YouTube in an innovative new digital marketing campaign, which will showcase many of Australia’s most iconic visitor attractions to an international online audience of millions.

Making Tracks will see four international musicians from the USA (two), the UK and Taiwan, who have recently been selected to take part in YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011, flown to Australia where they will each team up with one of Australia’s most promising musicians and take part in their very own journey Down Under.

The journeys, and the musical compilations which come out of them, will be filmed and later broadcast on YouTube and via Tourism Australia’s digital and social media channels.

Between them, the musical pairings will travel to every State and Territory and participate in a range of Australian experiences, including surfing at Bondi beach, a scenic flight over Uluru, an ocean walk on Kangaroo Island, a helicopter flight over the Twelve Apostles, journeying across the Western Wilderness in Tasmania, hot air ballooning over Canberra and a visit to the Sunshine Coast.

The campaign is the latest push in Tourism Australia’s highly successful digital strategy, highlights of which include a YouTube-branded channel and the recent There’s nothing like Australia marketing campaign, which has encouraged thousands of people around the world to share their favourite Australian experiences.

Tourism Australia is now working with YouTube to support the second YouTube Symphony Orchestra project. This has seen thousands of musicians from all over the world audition to win one of 101 spots to play at Sydney Opera House on 20 March 2011.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy believes that the creative collaboration with YouTube will enable Tourism Australia to reach new markets by focusing on music and the arts.

“In an increasingly competitive tourism industry, we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to get our message out that there’s nothing like Australia,” Mr McEvoy said. “The recent Oprah visit was one example of that, and YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 gives us another great opportunity – this time using digital marketing to engage with a global audience in an innovative and engaging way.

“Making Tracks is Australia’s own magical musical mystery tour and will open up some of Australia’s most iconic destinations and experiences to a huge, global online audience. I’m sure the experience will prove inspiring to all the musicians taking part. What better way to showcase Australia’s music, arts and culture than through these unique and highly personalised musical road trips through our great country.”

The first YouTube Symphony Orchestra saw 90 musicians from 30 countries play a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall in New York as well as attracting 25 million views from 226 countries to the Symphony channel (youtube.com/symphony).

Tourism Australia is supporting YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 through its global public relations activities such as the international media hosting and visiting opinion leader programs.

The 101 musicians selected to form YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 will be flown to Australia in March and participate in a week of rehearsals and concerts from March 14 – 20, 2011, culminating in a final performance at the Sydney Opera House on 20 March that will be live-streamed around the world on YouTube.

YouTube is the world’s largest online video community, with two billion video streams a day, and 35 hours of video content uploaded per minute.

Musical pairings:

• Australian guitarist Luke Webb from the Blue Mountains, NSW, will pair up with English cellist, Desmond Neysmith to travel to NSW and Western Australia

• Australian pianist and keyboardist Andy Bull from Sydney, NSW, will pair up with Taiwanese clarinetist Irene Chen to travel to South Australia and Northern Territory

• Australian guitarist Dewayne Everett-Smith from Hobart, Tasmania, will pair up with American viola player Jasmine Beams to travel to Tasmania and Victoria

• Australian pianist and guitarist Stu Cullen from Melbourne, Victoria, will pair up with American bassoonist Samuel Blair to travel to ACT and Queensland.