CTC Japan launches its own version of Clever Woman

Tourism marketers draw many of their ideas from successful practices elsewhere in the world. That is precisely what CTC Japan did when it launched its own version of the Clever Woman campaign recently, according to managing director Simon Pitt:

“When we were doing our planning for 2007, the importance of media in our promotions – and the importance of celebrity recommendation – emerged as key considerations. CTC Germany had been running a very successful promotion for some time. We looked at the components of what we understood the Clever Woman promotion to be, and we believed they would meet the needs of the Japanese market if we could find the right way of executing a similar campaign.”

Pitt says his team set about creating its own version of Clever Woman in Japan last spring. Elements like design became very important, getting the right web platform with interlocking components that allowed for the integration of partnerships.

Who would be the right media partners to work with? Which airline and trade partners might benefit from it? Which Japanese celebrity should be brought on board? All these considerations mattered.

“(It all came together) in a trip to Alberta’s Icefields Parkway at the end of August with TV personality Mitsuyo Kusano. After that, the crew went up to Yukon to capture another story. Between early September and October 15, we did all the hard work of incorporating and lighting up the materials, and editing the videos for the launch of the websites.”

In an attempt to leverage media partnerships, Pitt says Clever Woman also brought on board Sotokoto, a leading lifestyle magazine in Japan. “So when we launched on October 15, the December edition of Sotokoto featured six pages of articles and photographs of Mitsuyo Kusano in Alberta. Getting all these integrated components to come together can be a real challenge. For instance, we have HIS, a Japan‑based travel agent partner, working with us; as a result, visitors are drawn to the website, where they can learn about the original tour taken by our featured celebrity. They may book the trip though HIS’s website (which is linked with Clever Woman). Visitors can also take the information and book the trip through retail outlets.”

CTC Japan is working on a number of media projects at the moment, and Simon Pitt is quick to point out that getting more TV exposure matters. “We are working on developing a TV drama and it was through our connections that we were introduced to Mitsuyo Kusano. Her enthusiasm for Canada was contagious; she had been to Banff on a previous Christmas holiday, and she found the experience rewarding. So helping us and coming back during the summer was an attractive proposition for her. She gave us many ideas in terms of the design of the website, and she did write all of her blogging pieces herself.”

The challenge for a project like this is getting introduced to the right celebrity, and for them to find time slots in their diaries to make it all come together. “We were fortunate with Mitsuyo Kusano,” Pitt gleefully acknowledges. “We wanted people in Japan to be surprised about Canada. Clever Woman is all about lifestyles because there is much interest in healthy lifestyles in Japan. It has allowed us to deliver this program in a market that has been declining for 10 years. We need to try new things and take risks; this is one of the ways we are doing this.”

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