Jersey's 2007 Advertising Campaign moves Closer to Home

So finally we get to see Tourism's TV advert that has been in production for the past few months and that will start airing on Friday, 19th January. It was clearly much anticipated as 130 tourism industry souls managed to drag themselves down to Cineworld for 9am on a wet and windy Wednesday to see the commercial in big screen glory. So was it worth it?

The answer is 'Yes'. It feels good to be back on mainstream TV, building a brand image for Jersey. I have always argued that this is Tourism's key task - make people want to come here. This commercial achieves that by mixing inspiring and emotive images coupled with a voice over that is rich and welcoming (reminds me of the guy who did Mr Kipling's 'Exceedingly Good Cakes'). It's beautifully shot, manages to combine all the key images of the island and cram them into 30 secs and yet does so whilst maintaining a relaxed pace.

And what's this? The resurrection of probably Jersey's most successful slogan - well half of it anyway. 'Closer to Home' is a strong message amidst the growing clamour over the carbon emissions from air travel. It also appeals to families who do not want to endure the terror of a 3 hour flight with sprogs who refuse to sit still for more that 2 seconds.

No need to dwell on the rest of the advertising campaign - which is less impressive. The TV commercial will have an impact. Now it's down to all of us to turn those enquiries into sales. You can view the commercial for yourself and make up your own mind by visiting Jersey Tourism's Marketing microsite and click on TV advert.