Timaru campaign gains national attention
The welovetimaru campaign has gained national prominence beyond the initial expectations of its organisers.
‘‘The campaign was initiated to promote the Timaru district and open people’s eyes to what we have to offer potential new residents in months to come,’’ Aoraki Development chief executive Nigel Davenport said.
He considers the campaign’s initial $25,000 budget for billboards, social media, radio placements, promotional videos and featured articles money well spent.
Aoraki Development is grateful for the ‘‘significant national coverage in the media that we didn’t pay for’’, he said.
‘‘We succeeded in attracting the attention of the national media which has further highlighted the campaign. The promotional spend on social media has also resulted in many people sharing with their friends and family right across New Zealand and overseas, so that’s been another tremendous way to raise the profile of Timaru and the opportunities here for jobs and lifestyle.’’
Campaign staff were working through about 20 direct inquiries from people seeking to live, work and invest in Timaru, Davenport said.
He said it was difficult to confirm the number of people who have made direct contact with local employment agencies or business and industry as a result of the campaign through available associated links and resources.
‘‘There are at least two new employees and their families attracted directly into local business in part through the resources freely available associated to the campaign and our existing attraction mediums. We keep a close watch on our website and social media traffic.
‘‘Since we’ve launched this campaign the top three pages on our website now are – welovetimaru, jobs and housing affordability. All these pages have links to help anyone find out more about living and working here.’’