Heads-up for NZ

A wacky Air New Zealand marketing campaign using bald heads as billboards has made national headlines in America.

The stunt started last October when 30 Californians had their heads shaved and branded with the message, "Need A Change? Head Down to New Zealand" and the company's web address.

The strategy paid off this week when the strategy was covered by the New York Times and Fox News Channel.

The human hoardings were chosen from 300 people who attended an open audition at a fleamarket on trendy Melrose Ave in Los Angeles.

Nine were New Zealand expats and one Kiwi travelled from San Francisco to try out for the campaign.

They chosen 30 were offered US$777 or a return ticket to New Zealand in exchange for the airline's exclusive use of their bald heads for two weeks. Half chose the tickets.

"We thought more people would take the cash in these tough times and leading up to Christmas," said Air NZ North American marketing manager Jodi Williams.

The airline's plans to build on the success of the campaign are at the top-secret planning stage.

"We've got a tight budget so everything we do has to be sparse and clever but we're going to try to keep upping ourselves," said Williams.