Contest wins a marketing buzz

100 percent proud: London Street Fish and Chip Shop owners Tessa and Axel Campbell said they all did a little dance around the shop when they showed off their new advert with Maori All Black players starring as actors. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

Two Gisborne businesses have an extra reason to be grateful this Christmas after winning a national advertising campaign with professional rugby players starring as actors.

Dive Tatapouri and London Street Fish Shop were surprised when they each got an email telling them they had won the competition, run by ASB.

They were each provided with several scripts and options and were able to give creative feedback before the final product was created.

The result was a custom-made 15-second advertisement starring Maori All Blacks Shaun Stevenson, Bryn Hall and Jonathan Ruru, and banner advertisements that can be used on social media which also included Akira Ioane.

For Dive Tatapouri the advert shows the rugby stars donning waders and gumboots, and a talking stingray, while London Street sees the players get in a tangle with their fishing lines.

London Street Fish owner Tessa Campbell said it still felt “unreal” and humbling.

She entered the competition after seeing it on Facebook, saying she never believed she would actually win anything.

“We did a bit of a dance in the shop when I showed the staff (the ad) . . . I'm still in shock, and 100 percent proud of our little shop.

“I have always had a soft spot for this community, what some may call the 'hood, so when this (competition) came about it was an opportunity to draw more people to the area, have something for the community to be proud of, and create that London Street buzz again.”

Campbell's store shares a similar name with a Christchurch-based fish and chip shop, and she hoped the new advertising campaign would solidify their spot as the No.1 London Street Fish Shop in the country.

She laughed that despite having some creative control, eagle-eyed observers had already pointed out the mispronunciation of tarakihi in the advert.

Dive Tatapouri owner Chris Savage said being a small owner-operated tourism business had been incredibly challenging this year.

Savage said they felt incredibly privileged to have been chosen as a winner and that they could have never afforded marketing on this scale themselves.

“As an operator in a rural New Zealand town, off the beaten track, to be linked to some of the best sportsmen and women in New Zealand provides us with a voice and presence back to the larger cities and towns.”

The business was fortunate that Covid lockdowns came into force through its winter offseason, but she still has concerns about the ongoing uncertainty.

“We have been very thankful and grateful for the support of the team of 5 million who have taken up the advice to get out and explore Aotearoa's backyard,” she said.

“We are looking forward to our summer months, but we also know that it may be some time before we welcome international visitors again, so we are taking every day for what it is.

“We hope that people see this ad and come to Tairawhiti Gisborne and let the stress of 2020 wash away under the sun's rays while meeting our stingrays.”