K Rd tourism campaign celebrates bad reviews

AUCKLAND, Tuesday: Karangahape Road Business Association returns with new tourism campaign celebrating “real bad reviews”, via Motion Sickness.

The district celebrates the second coming of its Be Our Guest domestic tourism platform, this time reappropriating  the streets’ worst real online reviews alongside a series of distinctly Karangahape portraits shot exclusively on 35mm film.

Perhaps Aotearoa’s most notorious and intriguing street, Karangahape Road is often the target of negative stereotypes and snobbery.

Celebrated for its rough edges and idiosyncratic character by most, it proves to be a cause of serious frustration for others, resulting in an abundance of unintentionally hilarious appraisals of the streets unique offering.

The campaign features a series of creative, each pairing a real online review with a scene from a local business.

Motion Sickness ECD Sam Stuchbury said: “When we began to concept on this brief we found ourselves in a black hole of K Road reviews.

“Karangahape Road has attitude so the result feels right – a perfect middle finger from the business owners to its snobby reviewers.”

“These reviews actually said more about the person writing them rather than the business they were reviewing. Contrasting each negative review with the positive reality of each business experience speaks volumes.

“Karangahape Road has attitude so the result feels right – the perfect proverbial middle finger from the business owners to its snobby reviewers.

“This latest iteration comes off the back of 2021’s award winning Be Our Guest, during which Karangahape Road was Aotearoa’s best performing business district.

K Rd Business Association marketing manager Lisa McMillan said: “In 2021 we were keen for Motion Sickness to develop a campaign that reflects the anomalous attitude of Karangahape Road businesses and those that frequent the area.

“At ease in the discomfort of a boundary pushing district, Motion Sickness did just that in creating Be Our Guest.

“We’re now excited to share the second round of the campaign which takes the concept a stage further in exposing the beauty of Karangahape Road crowds — left-of-centre people looking for fun.”

The campaign runs until the 27 July via a series of Shout street posters, digital billboards and social channels.

CREDITS

Karangahape Rd Business Association Team: Jamey Holloway, Lisa McMillan.
Agency: Motion Sickness
Executive Creative Director: Sam Stuchbury
Creative/Photographer: Freddy Riddiford
Creative: Will Macdonald
Creative: Jordan Stent
Graphic Designer: Nick Jamieson
Head of Media: Josh Hawke

• www.motionsickness.co.nz
• www.karangahaperoad.com