While Gafni insisted that it's too soon to measure its true impact, the racy
television ad has given its new Web site (www.thinkisrael.com) the boost it
sought. Between its launch in late October and December 26, the Web site had
9,000 hits, rising to 25,000 three days later, when the figures were last
checked.
"The real success of the campaign will come when tour operators report a
further increase in British tourists to Israel," he said.
Figures released last week by the Tourism Ministry showed that 141,500 visitors
from the United Kingdom arrived in the country in the first 11 months of 2005,
an 8% increase from the same period in 2004.
The new advertisement breaks the norm in how Israel sells itself to the public,
veering away from the ethno-centric approach used until now.
The campaign focuses on the appeals of sunbathing in Eilat, relaxing at the
Dead Sea and partying in Tel Aviv, as the way to "Think Israel," ignoring the
more typical imagery of Jerusalem, Masada or Tiberias.
Yoram Rubinger, creative director at advertising and branding agency Open
(which was not associated with the project) said the advertisement sends a
positive message to young travelers that Israel is a fun destination,
comparable to Greece and Turkey.
"Showing a different aspect to the country should not present any problems," he
said.
The Tourism Ministry's Gafni added that he has received no negative feedback
from the campaign and that even the Jewish press in the UK has favored the idea
of showing Israel differently.
A follow-up campaign is planned for April and May.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Ministry said Monday it has allocated 30% of its
marketing and advertising budget to Internet-based campaigns.
This follows the initial success of its campaign on the Yahoo Internet portal,
which displays more traditional Israel promotional banners when a travel search
is done for Europe or the Far East.
The ministry said the Yahoo campaign brought 130,000 visitors to its site in
November, the start of the four-month campaign. The ministry also initiated
campaigns in Los Angeles, New York and Miami, as well as in the American
Christian media.
