When Travel Portland and Travel Oregon entered the Australia and New Zealand marketplace, they faced a unique challenge. While geographically well positioned between two major air hubs—Vancouver (YVR) and San Francisco (SFO)—the destination had minimal inclusion within wholesale and tour operator programs. Compounding this challenge was low consumer awareness, meaning the Oregon brand did not strongly resonate with end travellers.

Canuckiwi focused on building product first, recognising that awareness could not be driven without bookable itineraries in market. By working closely with wholesale and tour operator partners, we developed itineraries that expanded beyond short city stays and repositioned Oregon as a destination worthy of longer exploration.

As relationships with the trade strengthened, wholesalers began expanding their offerings—from 2-night city stays to 7–14 night statewide itineraries—or launched brand new Oregon programs included as brochured product across Australia and New Zealand.

In parallel, Canuckiwi leveraged strong media relationships to drive consumer awareness. During the product development phase, our relationship with APN (New Zealand Herald) led to a large-scale consumer competition, featuring wrapped covers of the New Zealand Herald distributed through New World supermarkets, New Zealand’s leading grocery chain.

While APN initially requested both a cash contribution and a prize package, Canuckiwi collaborated with the State of Oregon and industry partners to build an exceptionally compelling prize. The strength of the prize package allowed the campaign to proceed with no cash contribution from the client.

To further amplify results, Canuckiwi partnered with Hawaiian Airlines and House of Travel to create a clear call to action across print, radio, and social media channels—driving consumer engagement, strengthening partner loyalty, and delivering trackable outcomes.