Attack of the trench coat bikini flashers

medialifemagazine.com

Alternative media
Attack of the trench coat bikini flashers
By Diego Vasquez
Sep 2, 2008 - 9:41:11 AM

Pretty women wearing next to nothing are a fixture of alternative media, typically showing up in Times Square, weather allowing, with the hopes of getting picked up by the morning news shows.

Tourism Queensland of Australia took the idea further: Pretty women wearing next to nothing flashing their various body parts from trench coats.

The campaign, which ran over the summer in Sydney and Melbourne, had the aim of attracting tourists to the resort area, known for its bikini-dotted beaches.

The stunt was the idea of CumminsNitro Brisbane of Brisbane.

As it happened, the women's trench coats were lined with scenes of Queensland beaches.

The women flashed people at various high-traffic locations, including Flinders Street Station, Southbank, Bourke Street and Degraves Street in Melbourne, and Pitt Street Mall, Martin Place, Circular Quay, Town Hall and Wynyard in Sydney.

After popping open their trench coats, the women then handed out cards inviting passersby to go online and book a visit to the resort.

It became a big story for local media, being the summer and probably a slow news day, which made it a good deal for the client, as Edwina Gilmour, senior account director at CumminsNitro Brisbane, figures it.

“With an approximate advertising spend of only $70,000 (Australian), the campaign resulted in an estimated $500,000 worth of free media,” says Gilmour.

“It also resulted in a significant spike in online activity on the Tourism Queensland web site."