WHO would have thought that the best way to garner global interest in a small island was to advertise a job?

Tourism Queensland’s “Best Job In The World” campaign drew over 34,000 applications for the post of caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

More than just a tourism campaign, the post of island caretaker is indeed a real job. The successful applicant will receive an A$150,000 (RM380,000) six-month contract complete with airfares and live-in accommodation on the tropical Hamilton Island.

“The successful applicant will need to live on Hamilton Island for six months, travel amongst the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef and report back to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries, and video updates,” said Tourism Queensland CEO Anthony Hayes in the statement that first announced the contest which was launched on Jan 10.

The brainchild of Brisbane-based creative agency Cummins Nitro, the A$1.7 million campaign also involved a series of ads in countries from Germany to South Korea.

In Malaysia and Singapore, Tourism Queensland worked with Carat for its local promotions which included tie-ups with long-haul lowcost carrier AirAsia X. The airline has been the campaign’s partner, combining marketing funds with Tourism Queensland, and sponsoring air tickets (Kuala Lumpur to Gold Coast) for consumer contests in both Singapore and Malaysia.

Globally, the campaign’s phenomenal success is mostly due to the spontaneous viral marketing that blitzed the Internet when the idea of the “best job” fired up the imagination of people around the world.

Commenting on the avalanche of applications, Hayes said the campaign had relied almost solely on public relations and social networking. It’s taken on a life of its own, spawning special discussion groups, bulletin boards, boards and websites with applicants critiquing their competition, having detailed discussions and swapping ideas and tips,” said Hayes in a statement last month announcing the huge number of applications received.

The 34,000 applicants were short-listed down to a list of 50, 10 of whom would be chosen by the Tourism Queensland board.

The only Malaysian candidate to make it to the top 50, Jackie Miao from Sabah, placed 25th with over 2,800 votes. In a recent email interview with The Edge Financial Daily, Miao credited her experience in social networking, blogging on http:// life.jackiemiao.com, and viral activity on Facebook and Twitter for the high number of votes she garnered.

“I am based in the UK and have been unable to make television appearances in my own country like some of the other candidates — this has set me back,” she said.

“As a digital consultant, the Internet has always been my strong point. The support has been amazing,” said Miao, adding that she had also obtained coverage in the local press. “If I had been in Asia, I would have been able to rally more support,” she concluded.

The top 10 applicants selected by Tourism Queensland will be announced on April 3. The successful candidate will be announced on May 6, and start work on July 1.

This article appeared on the Media & Advertising page, The Edge Financial Daily, March 31, 2009