How Tourism Australia used a souvenir kangaroo to invite the world back.
- Organisation
- Tourism Australia
- Campaign
- Come and Say G’day
- When
- Launched October 2022 · China from June 2023
- Type
- Global relaunch campaign
Independent analyses of public campaigns. Not Livelier Memories clients, results or endorsements.
View original campaign on Tourism Australia: Come and Say G’day (past campaigns) (opens in a new tab)The buyer problem
After two years of travel restrictions, Tourism Australia set out to help the tourism industry recover by building demand for Australian holidays in its key international markets.
The character’s job
Two CGI characters led the campaign: Ruby, a souvenir kangaroo, and Louie, a toy unicorn who stands in for overseas visitors, voiced respectively by Rose Byrne and Will Arnett. For the June 2023 China launch, Tourism Australia named Ruby its Brand Ambassador and put her at the centre of new assets made for Chinese travellers.
One ambassador, adapted by market and moment.
Across channels
One character pair, carried across markets and channels.
Campaign characters
- Rubya souvenir kangaroo · Brand Ambassador
- Louiea toy unicorn · the international visitor
From October 2022 · 15 key international markets
- Short film
- TV commercial
- High-impact out-of-home
- Social
- Digital
- Editorial
- Partner advertising
From June 2023 · China
- TV commercial and short film translated in-language
- A new series of assets designed for Chinese travellers
- Work with airlines and key distribution partners
Reported audience response
Evidence type: Advertiser-reported audience response
- 59%
- of people who had seen the campaign said it made them more likely to holiday in Australia
Reported by Tourism Australia in its 30 June 2023 China launch media release, referring to other key markets.
Limits of this evidence
- This is self-reported intention among people who had viewed the campaign — not bookings, visitor arrivals, uplift or attributable revenue.
- The release does not publish the survey method, and the figure does not isolate Ruby’s effect from the rest of the campaign.
- Not a Livelier Memories client, result or endorsement.
Interpretation
Practical takeaway
A destination character can be a reusable asset rather than a single advertisement. The stated aim — adapting one ambassador to new markets without significant new production — depends on approved references for how the character looks and behaves.