Results and Effectiveness

This was reported far and wide by the BBC and the Daily Mail. Hundreds of thousands of Elvish nerds also spread the word online. (And commented how good our Elvish grammar & pronunciation was.) The footage was later available for repeat viewing on TVNZ ‘OnDemand’, youtube, and the Pure New Zealand Facebook page. In effect, the whole stunt was a 2 ½ minute branded content piece that hi-jacked the news and made a ‘mecca’ out of Matamata-the actual site of the film set of Bag End and Hobbiton-putting it on the global traveller’s map. And on Trip Advisor.

Creative Execution

Partnering with the state broadcaster TVONE, we found one of the world’s only ‘Elvish’ coaches, and for a week trained one of their presenters in the language. Then, come the day of The Hobbit’s Premiere, and without any notice, we broadcast the nation’s weather forecast entirely in Elvish. Viewable afterwards on TVNZ OnDemand. The Premiere was also timed to reach western markets in LA for maximum coverage. The footage was made available to broadcast partners and was also commented upon and shared by overseas media figures in NZ for the Premiere.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

NZ has a tiny population, and a budget to match. But its ambitions are global. And it was presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to make the country a must-visit destination off the back of the global spotlight that would turn it’s way thanks to the launch of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. To a Tolkien fan, one place is synonymous with Middle earth, and that’s New Zealand. New Zealand is middle-earth, on earth. Where Gandalf strides, Hobbit’s walk, and Gollum creeps. Where fantasy and reality are one and the same thing. So we aimed to earn as much media as we could by using our association with all things Middle-earth. And if you’re in a country that really is Middle-earth, you’d have a Middle-earth weather forecast wouldn’t you?