GREAT campaign ads to feature in new Paddington film

VisitBritain has partnered with STUDIOCANAL to promote Britain as a GREAT destination to visit with the UK release of the new Paddington film (28^th November), following the adventures of the famous bear who arrives at Paddington Station from Peru.

The lovable bear will cause havoc once again in this new campaign with the tagline “See Britain through Paddington’s eyes”. VisitBritain will launch global PR, digital and social media activity on Facebook and Yahoo with extra investment in key markets France, Germany and the USA. VisitBritain has also captured a cheeky selfie with Paddington Bear to inspire visitors to take their own selfies at locations around the country using the hashtag #PaddingtonsBritain.

The movie is set to be STUDIOCANAL’S biggest release for 2014 and will feature Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington. The cast also includes Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and Peter Capaldi (the new Doctor Who).

VisitBritain GREAT branding will feature in the film, appearing in tube station scenes and on a red Routemaster bus. This is the first time the national tourism agency has placed advertising (at no extra cost) within an internationally released film.

The national tourist board will host a dedicated takeover on www.visitbritain.com/paddington, including a competition, film location images and user-generated consumer images from Instagram. The national tourism agency will identify and supply destination itineraries for towns across Britain reachable via Paddington station, highlighting how easy it is to travel across the country by train and, of course, where to find the best marmalade! Members of the tourism industry across Britain have been sent Paddington Bear soft toys to feature in their own photos of local landmarks, and the best will be shared on social media. Paddington Bear products can also be purchased via VisitBritain’s online shop platform.

This film tourism GREAT campaign is predicted to provide a return on investment of 7:1 and increase the incremental spend of overseas visitors by £1.75 million across Britain over a three-month period.

Joss Croft, Marketing Director at VisitBritain said: “This film is a huge opportunity that we really could not let slip through our paws! The power of set-jetting is an important element in driving incremental tourism with the right film acting as free advertising, so we do all we can to capitalise on that. The film demonstrates the warm welcome that Britain delivers to all our visitors – albeit in this case an ursine Peruvian!

“We have worked closely with STUDIOCANAL from the outset and have even agreed an element of product placement for the GREAT campaign. Paddington Bear is popular all over the world with people of all ages, giving us the opportunity to inspire a wider pool of visitors to come in greater numbers and to spend more money across the whole of Britain.”

The Paddington CGI was created by Framestore, a BAFTA and Academy Award® winning-winning British visual effects company, which won both awards for the visual effects in ‘Gravity’ and the Harry Potter films.

Culture Secretary, Sajid Javid added: “Paddington Bear is one of Britain’s most loved characters in children’s literature and his travel adventures are renowned across the world. This partnership between VisitBritain and STUDIOCANAL will capitalise on the global appeal of this endearing bear by featuring Paddington visiting famous British landmarks and shows the UK has much more than marmalade under its hat.”

Kate Lambert, Promotions and Partnerships Manager at STUDIOCANAL: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the GREAT Campaign, and for PADDINGTON to be front and centre in promoting tourism to the country, as well as highlighting the wonderful work those in the UK film industry are involved in. Paddington bear, as a newcomer himself to these shores, is the perfect icon for encouraging global visitors to discover Britain in the same way our favourite bear himself did.”