Destination Canada launched a collaboration with David Jones, Australia’s premier department store, at its flagship Sydney store in Elizabeth Street this week.
The campaign kicked off amidst a backdrop of a Canadian autumn forest on level seven of David Jones, offering customers an insight into the diverse landscapes, people and narratives woven throughout Canada.
Speaking at the event, Julie King, Founder & CEO of Julie King & Associates, and Managing Director of Destination Canada in Australia, emphasised the campaign’s focus on storytelling to illuminate Canada’s unique cultures, landscapes, communities, and adventures during the autumn and winter seasons.
“Over the next four months, we aim to engage a broad audience, leveraging the affinity of David Jones’ loyal customers to inspire exploration of both iconic and off-the-beaten-path regions of Canada during autumn and winter,” stated King.
The initiative commenced in March with the unveiling of three Canada-themed windows along Castlereagh St at the Flagship Sydney store. Through an omni-channel strategy, the campaign is poised to reach an estimated 5.6 million premium customers, fostering maximum awareness, engagement, and foot traffic both in-store and online.
James Holloman, Chief Marketing Officer for David Jones expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, which pays homage to the brand’s history of celebrating inspiring destinations and crafting unique customer experiences.
“David Jones has a long history of bringing the best of the world to Australia. From the most sought-after exclusive brands to a celebration of destinations and cultures that inspire experiences like no other. We are delighted to partner with Destination Canada to showcase the captivating allure of the country and provide an engaging experience for our customers”.
The Canadian-themed window displays will remain in place until July. Throughout the Sydney store on visual displays and in-store announcements, customers of David Jones will be encouraged to visit the activation on Level 7 where they can view a series of short films produced to showcase the destination and enter a competition to win a trip to Canada. Other David Jones stores will also promote the destination on their in-store video displays.
At last night’s event, media and special guests including Edwina Bartholomew, Alison and Cameron Daddo were treated to an exclusive preview of the exhibition before its public opening today. The showcase reinforces Canada’s brand positioning as a land of open spaces, open hearts, and open minds, captivating audiences through community-style videos featuring Canadian storytellers, highlighting the country’s diverse provinces and territories.During the evening, MC Edwina Bartholomew, Australian journalist and television presenter, shared her personal experiences in Canada and engaged in a conversation with First Nations tour operator Mike Willie of Sea Wolf Adventures, offering insights into the rich indigenous culture and breathtaking landscapes of British Columbia’s northern Vancouver Island.
Chief Willie eloquently described his people’s deep connection to the land and wildlife of the Broughton Archipelago, emphasising the significance of Sea Wolf Adventures in preserving and sharing their heritage with visitors.
“Bringing Mike to Australia to engage with our guests underscores the importance that Canada’s discerning travellers place on connecting deeply with a destination and its people during their travel experiences. This is about the meaningful exchanges that enrich both our guests and the local communities they visit and demonstrating travel’s powerful role in being a catalyst for good, leaving an indelible positive imprint on our world,” King remarked following last night’s event.
As part of the immersive experience, David Jones customers will have the opportunity to indulge in maple-flavoured Canada snow cones while strolling through the forest installation over two weekends, scheduled for 27-28 April and 4-5 April, from 12 to 3pm.
The autumn forest immersive experience will be in David Jones’ Elizabeth Street store in Sydney until 4 July 2024.
Destination British Columbia and Air Canada are giving away the trip of a lifetime for 4 people to travel to Canada with return economy class flights and an AU$15,000 credit to design a ‘Rainforest to Rockies itinerary. Learn more at davidjones.com/win-a-trip-to-canada.
Lead image, from left: Edwina Bartholomew, emcee/Sunrise host/journalist with James Hollerman, Chief Marketing Officer, David Jones; and Julie King, MD, Destination Canada.
