Tourism Fiji, in partnership with Host/Havas, created "Where happiness comes naturally" a new global brand platform for the tourism company.
The work marks 12 years since Fiji’s first destination marketing campaign, which encouraged visitors to find their happiness in Fiji, the new brand platform shifts the focus to the local people, stunning natural environment, rich culture, and authentic experiences that Fiji offers.
"Where happiness comes naturally" is live in key and emerging markets with out of home, TVC, a refreshed website, and across digital and social channels.
AdNews spoke with executive creative director at Host/Havas, Jon Austin: The brief came about as part of a hotly contested global pitch for Tourism Fiji. Like many destination marketing briefs following the pandemic, its objective was simple– to get more travellers considering and visiting a destination that had been completely shuttered during Covid.
"The big question was whether ‘happiness’ was still the right positioning for Fiji. It was an easy question to answer. We believed it absolutely was. Fiji has built equity in happiness for over a decade, and more importantly, it’s undeniably true (plus, what destination wouldn’t love to have that as their central proposition?)."
The executive creative director describes the challenge in defining what happiness means in a new era.
“The problem is, happiness doesn’t mean what it used to.
“What was once a transformative and aspirational emotion that people went to great lengths to achieve had become ubiquitous amongst brands.
“Fiji claims happiness, but so does Coca-Cola and Reddi-wip whipped cream and Zappos online shoes. Happiness, in marketing terms, has become a bottle cap twist away. Quick, transactional, and - whilst fleetingly enjoyable - ultimately unfulfilling.
“And so, we set out to bring new depth and emotion to a word that had lost a lot of its meaning; to show that happiness in Fiji wasn’t some shallow, fleeting dopamine hit, but a fundamental principle of Fijians’ way of life. It’s borne out of their stunning natural environment; their familial bonds; their faith; their communities; their generous Bula spirit. In Fiji, happiness comes naturally, both to those who live there, and those lucky enough to visit.
Austins says that the campaign was derived from how deep the Bula spirit runs in the Fijian culture: “Where happiness comes naturally is all about showing how deep that emotion runs in Fijian culture. Creatively, our job was to add authenticity in new ways. To celebrate Fijians and their culture rather than just focusing on the tourists. To achieve it, we worked with National Geographic photographer Matthieu Paley to capture happiness in spontaneous and unexpected places. We recorded the music for the spot on our phones where and when it struck.
“We recorded the VO in the three primary languages of Fiji on beaches, trail sides and under trees. We collaborated with local artists to blend modern design principles with traditional practices. We worked in close consultation with a broad cross section of locals to ensure we were conveying the country and its people in a respectful and accurate way. We went to great lengths to organically capture Fiji’s happiness and present it, more meaningfully, to the world.”
Austin says the world according to the new year is looking grim, and therefore the team at Host/Havas simply had to look at people they were travelling for, and the answer was simple, authenticity.
“With the world looking particularly grim, we began by looking at what people were actually travelling for. A recent study into sustainable travel revealed that 66% of travellers want to go beyond the usual tourism stock shots, and instead, crave authentic experiences representative of the local culture.
“They’re not simply looking for happiness. They’re looking for authenticity. And authentic happiness is something that Fiji can offer in ways that the likes of Coca-Cola, Reddi-wip and Zappos can’t.
“It was a real lightbulb moment when our brilliant planning team said, “In Fiji, happiness isn’t some gimmick: it exists whether the tourists are there or not. That’s authenticity.
“What a powerful thought that is. What a powerful creative strategy to harness. An opportunity to give tourists a glimpse of authentic happiness, not by focusing on happy tourists, but on a happy local population. It became our core strategic proposition. Who better to provide an authentically happy experience than a culture who has mastered it?”
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