By Dave Goosselink
New Zealand's landscapes and scenery are no longer the star of the country's 100 Percent Pure tourism promotion.
The long-running campaign's been given an overhaul, from today New Zealand is being sold as “100 Percent Pure You”.
The old campaign has been running for 12 years.
Now Tourism New Zealand is personalising its 100 Percent Pure message, highlighting the individual experiences on offer.
“What we're doing here is saying, well instead of just showing mountains, we're going to put people in the mountains as well,” says Justin Watson of Tourism NZ.
The multi-million dollar 100 Percent Pure You campaign includes three TV commercials.
One features a young woman - best known for promoting Vegemite in Australia - raving about her jetboat ride in Queenstown.
Other ads are more subdued, Tourism NZ says people come here for more than just extreme adventure.
“What we're doing now is basically saying, well on that beautiful backdrop there's so many great things you can do, from horse riding to jetboating to walks through forests. And showcasing those beautiful experiences that New Zealand has to offer,” says Mr Watson.
But not everyone is impressed with the new campaign.
Former ad agency boss Nigel Keats is concerned at the lack of unique New Zealand branding.
“A lot of the scenery could be pretty much anywhere. There are no audio or other visual clues that it's New Zealand apart from the logo at the end,” says Mr Keats.
The 100 Percent Pure campaign has worked well for New Zealand, even prompting the Aussies to create a spoof ad for a TV show, claiming the country is 100 percent ripe for invasion.
The new, genuine 100 Percent Pure You campaign is already running in Australia, and will be rolled out across Europe, America, and Asia over the next few months.
3 News