BALLARAT Regional Tourism is mixing up its Tour De France advertising campaign to entice sporting enthusiasts from all over Australia to be part of the eclectic mix of sporting events the city will play host to later this year.
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BRT chief executive officer George Sossi said cycling remained critical to tourism in Ballarat, with the city positioning itself as the cycling capital of Australia.
But he said the diversity of sport tourism in the town continued to flourish, with the World Masters Rowing Regatta to be held in Ballarat in October and Ironman 70.3 Ballarat scheduled for November. The city’s official marketing body will run 50 television advertisements during SBS’s three-week coverage of the Tour De France, focusing not only on Ballarat’s cycling culture, but the city’s other elite sporting events.
“It is our premier hallmark event at the moment,” Mr Sossi said.
“Looking at the type of audience this type of sporting event attracts, it made logical sense to combine all sporting events into the one advertisement, rather than have three separate ads.”
BRT’s advertisement is a fast-paced 30-second snippet of elite athletes showcasing their craft and urging viewers to
“to discover all the excitement of Ballarat’s major sporting events”.
While Mr Sossi remained tight-lipped on the exact dollar figure invested in the campaign, he said BRT had spent no more money than it had done in previous years.
In 2011, The Courier reported that BRT ran 90 television advertisements during SBS’s coverage, with each 30-second commercial televised costing about $5000.
“The budget very is similar to what it has been in previous years,” he said. “We have kept it very consistent.”
Mr Sossi said the advertising campaign “puts Ballarat on the world stage”.
melissa.cunningham@fairfaxmedia.com.au