This year we have been focusing on getting a new audience to Carter. One way we have done this is by teaming up with Clemengers BBDO to create our “Fill your Head with Space Campaign” 

One of our challenges is keeping Carter Observatory front of mind. Signage showing visitors the way to Carter in the myriad of paths at the top of the Botanic Garden has also been an issue.

Carter Observatory wants to fill your head with space.

Take a bunch of people, put them in a state of the art planetarium, wire their heads up to Wellington Hospital’s high-tech EEG brain scanning machine, and turn on the stars. What do you get?

As Carter Observatory’s new advertising campaign illustrates, something quite extraordinary.

Brain wave of advertising agency Clemenger BBDO, the campaign aims to get more Wellingtonians visiting the observatory at the top of Wellington’s cable car. Says Clemenger’s Executive Creative Director Philip Andrew, “Carter is one of Wellington’s best attractions. But, as is often the case with the things in your own backyard, Wellingtonians forget it’s there. We wanted to get them excited enough to get up the hill.

It wasn’t too big of a stretch; anybody who watches the planetarium shows has their mind blown. We just had to think of a way to capture that.”

As suspected, the test subjects’ EEG scan results were remarkable. Stimulated brain activity showed up as colourful clouds strongly resembling the galaxies they were gazing up at.

Carter Observatory’s Marketing Manager Dawn Muir says, “It’s easy to forget the bigger picture in the business of our daily lives.  We know Carter offers a bit of relief from that, and inspires people to see their world a bit differently.  We want to share that message with Wellingtonians and visitors.

We are extremely grateful to Clemenger BBDO for their commitment to Wellington and their enthusiasm to help us out with this truly innovative campaign”.

We also want to acknowledge the wonderful EEG technicians at Wellington Hospital’s neurology unit.  Without their willingness to take precious time out of their very busy days, we wouldn’t have got there.  You guys rock!

We have been trying to add different events and public programmes recently, to show that our Observatory isn’t just about pure science. We have worked with photographers, science journalists and next year we will be taking our first step into the Wellington Writers Festival with Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton, creating a Space themed Murder Mystery party, and adding some brand new planetarium shows.  All of these exciting events and marketing are helping us to be seen as an innovative and fun place to be that people will want to return to again and again.

www.carterobservatory.org/