Visit Victoria has unveiled a new destination brand for the state, which includes a fresh brand platform, a global tourism campaign, and a new visual identity.

The new brand platform, dubbed 'Every bit different', was crafted in collaboration with AJF Partnership.

This move comes as tourism spending in Victoria reached a record high of $36.9 billion in the year ending September 2023, a $27.1 billion increase since the year ending March 2021, according to Tourism Research Australia.

The campaign aims to boost preference for Melbourne and regional Victoria by showcasing the state’s diverse and unique experiences. The brand platform is designed to communicate the breadth of world-class experiences available to visitors, focusing on the feelings they elicit, rather than the products alone. The first iteration of the brand platform is being launched through a multi-channel campaign during the 2024 Australian Open.

"We wanted to make sure we captured the input from our industry partners across Victoria. They deliver our brand day in day out, and their insights helped us to inform our strategic approach – from rational to emotional," said Shae Keenan, Chief Marketing Officer, Visit Victoria.

The campaign is accompanied by an intricate media plan that delivers multiple videos to unique audiences to demonstrate what’s special about Victoria. The launch campaign will see first-to-market media tactics for the tourism category, such as augmented reality communications overlaid at the end of an ad break during the Australian Open broadcast. Visit Victoria will target mass audiences through media placements including broadcast TV, BVOD, OOH/DOOH, social media including a TikTok takeover, and alongside earned media.

"It’s no coincidence that Victoria has Australia’s best major events calendar and what better way to launch our campaign than through the global platform of the Australian Open. With around 800,000 spectators at Melbourne Park and millions more watching on from around the world, the AO provides an incredible platform to showcase our experiences, regions and events," said Brendan McClements, CEO, Visit Victoria.

In the Victorian State Budget, the Victorian Government provided Visit Victoria with an overall investment of $32.5 million for 2023-2024 for marketing activities. A recent independent report, commissioned by Visit Victoria, valued Victoria’s major events calendar at $3.3 billion per annum – up from $2.5 billion in 2018.

"For a Melbourne-based agency there could be no greater challenge, or honour, than to be given the chance to sell our home to the world. Visit Victoria was keen to do something that broke tourism category conventions and with Every bit different we feel we have created something that does just that. We avoided simply showing every different bit and instead, told compelling short stories that proudly show the true soul of Victoria," said Scott Walker, AJF Partnership.