Ohakune’s famous carrot was sporting a new look on Monday, with an oversized Made Greater tag marking the launch of Visit Ruapehu’s new long-term brand platform for the region.
The day began with a special welcome at Maungārongo Marae for acclaimed creative Bridget Taylor and the wider Visit Ruapehu whānau, before moving to Ohakune’s Carrotland Adventure Park, where a group of locals joined the celebration and the Made Greater tag was revealed.
Visit Ruapehu General Manager Jo Kennedy said the carrot was the perfect place to demonstrate what Made Greater is all about.
“You could say even a carrot is made greater in Ruapehu,” Kennedy said.
“But there’s something much bigger behind it. People don’t just visit Ruapehu — they are changed by it. This place can surprise you, inspire you and change the way you see the world.”
The creative platform was developed by Bridget Taylor, one of New Zealand’s most accomplished advertising and creative professionals, who has worked internationally, founded and led agencies, won major international awards and appeared on Australian television as an advertising expert.
Taylor already had strong connections with Ruapehu before becoming involved in the project, following an introduction through Visit Ruapehu Board director Nigel Douglas.
Taylor said the idea came from recognising not only how Ruapehu can elevate an experience, but how spending time in the region can change the way people feel.
“There’s something about being here that gives you permission to step away from the screens, the schedules and the busyness, and actually be present,” Taylor said.
“That’s what Made Greater is about. Experiences are made greater by being here — and you leave feeling a little greater too…
“Maybe because of how they've been challenged, all the things they’ve been absorbed into nature to do, and the connections they’ve made with the people around them.”
Taylor says Ruapehu’s natural charm is a focus of the Made Greater care label idea.
“You can come here and ‘hand wash’, which is swim in the river or ‘tumble dry’, take a roly poly down the mountain. There are no synthetic thrills with all the vast and varied natural wonders that you can entertain yourself with.”
Made Greater is a long-term destination brand platform that will roll out across Visit Ruapehu’s digital, social media, radio and video channels, with plans to extend its reach into Australia through social media and collaborative in-market activity.
It will also increasingly appear at events and industry activations and through Ruapehu tourism operators and businesses, giving the wider region opportunities to tell their own Made Greater stories.
At the heart of the campaign is a distinctive Made Greater tag, inspired by the familiar ‘Made in New Zealand’ clothing or luggage label. The tag becomes a symbol of the different ways an experience in Ruapehu can leave you Made Greater.
- Made Greater bag tags for operators to share with visitors
- Large Made Greater tags and signage for local businesses and shopfronts
- Social media frames visitors can use to share how their time in Ruapehu has left them Made Greater
