CNN, SA Tourism and SAA launch "Discover South Africa' campaign

CNN International, South African Tourism and South African Airways have teamed up to launch a multi-million dollar campaign showcasing the cultural attractions of South Africa to CNN's audience around the globe.

The television campaign, which takes the viewer on a journey to a "wild and beautiful place", is expected to reach 230 million viewers in Europe, Africa, Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. The campaign is jointly sponsored by South African Tourism and South African Airways and is expected to run for one year.

The 'Discover South Africa' campaign consists of a number of different advertorial vignettes, the themes of which focus on the rich cultural heritage of South Africa, a world-class tourist destination. Showcased in the 50 second vignettes are South Africa's wild life, nightlife, adventure and sport, providing a genuine African experience for the discerning traveller.

Cheryl Carolus, CEO, South African Tourism, said: "In the current climate, we are being regarded as a safe, value-for-money destination. The country offers a diversity of experiences and we are working closely with our partners in the tourism industry, including South African Airways to build on our current success and the strong interest in travel to South Africa."

"We are delighted to be able to develop bespoke advertising solutions for clients such as South African Airways and South African Tourism. This campaign provides CNN International with a unique opportunity to visually showcase the essence of South Africa and broadcast that to millions of people, many of whom are unaware of it's rich diversity of life," said Rani Raad Regional Sales Director, CNN International.

Each vignette is part of an overall commercial broadcast package that lasts for a total of 50" seconds. The Advertorial vignette is followed by a 10" second closing billboard branded by South African Airways telling the world that they will "take you home" and a 70" second South African Airways TV commercial featuring either their new fleet or the service they offer to their passengers as a the carrier of choice in the markets they serve.

The choice of vignettes will constantly be reviewed and updated throughout the campaign with an average of fourteen vignettes running each week over the one-year period. The campaign is also being extended with quarterly inserts of adverts into CNN Traveller magazine as well as an on-line campaign with banners on CNN.com, targeting U.S. users through out the duration of the campaign.

CNN has four bureaux on the African continent, in Cairo, Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi. CNN International's service for Africa/Middle East/Europe is available to 15 million households in Africa and features 50 hours of new programming specifically produced for the region.