The Australian Government has finally aligned with global trends by engaging Gen Z influencers to explore the land down under. But how much money is being invested to make this a reality?
Tourism Australia, the governmental body tasked with boosting tourist spending within our economy, reportedly allocated a total of $90,000 to host three influencers for a month.
Honestly, that’s incredibly cost-effective.
The influencers included Chris Olsen, an American with 13.9 million followers across all platforms, Maddie Grace Jepson (1.7 million), and trainspotter Francis Bourgeois (5.3 million).
The trio shared the funds, which covered their flights, accommodation, and activities, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.
Since arriving for the TikTok awards earlier this month (a separate endeavor), the three influencers have released varying amounts of content.
24-year-old Jepson has been actively posting TikToks, showcasing Sydney’s iconic bin chickens and the Gold Coast’s Rainbow Bay.
These two videos of Jepson in Australia (among many others she has uploaded) have amassed nearly 700,000 views on TikTok alone.
Olsen portrayed his sponsored trip as impromptu, telling followers he was “going wherever this filter lands on”.
That specific TikTok has now garnered just over 22 million views—a staggering figure.
He then seemingly spontaneously boarded a seaplane in Sydney, ensuring he highlighted the scenic views during the flight.
Given the different quantities of content uploaded by each influencer, it seems there wasn’t a fixed agreement with Tourism Australia regarding a specific number of posts.
Based solely on the total view count, the $90,000 was well-invested.
The content felt genuine, with moderate to low production quality. My Gen Z sensibilities were perfectly at ease watching it.
One thing is certain, this campaign has significantly outperformed the disastrous 2006 effort titled, “Where the bloody hell are you?”.
Remember that one?
The one that former PM Scott Morrison was involved with?
It cost $180 million?
Yes, that one.
