The Auckland Writers Festival has been a staple on the cultural calendar for over two decades. But in 2024, with a new team, new format, and a fresh set of ambitions, they were looking for a fresh perspective.
They came to us with a clear brief:
Reposition the festival. Attract new audiences. Sell ticket sales, without alienating their long-standing loyalists.
The perception? That AWF was a festival for writers.
The truth? It’s a festival for the culturally curious. The creatively inclined. The thinkers, the feelers, and yes – even the Instagram caption readers.
We developed a multi-pronged strategy that catered to their three distinct audiences.
We developed a full-funnel campaign structured around four phases:
1) Tease the headline lineup
2) Drive urgency for Early Bird sales
3) Sustain momentum through General Sale
4) Create FOMO during Festival WeekWriter’s Intros to build buzz and excitement.
Using Meta, Google Ads, TikTok and NZ Herald, we delivered tailored messaging across core, youth and family audiences.
We developed the festival’s new creative platform – Open a World of Wonder – which gave us the licence to go bigger and bolder with messaging.
The Auckland Writers Festival is where you can peel back the page on a world of wonder. An invitation for anyone with a thirst for creativity and discover something new to indulge.
As you wander through the festival grounds, you'll find yourself immersed in a world of wonder, where each book and writer represents a new universe to explore. You'll have the opportunity to peel back the pages of these worlds, discovering something new and gain fresh perspectives.
Creative was built around four key pillars:
Escape the Ordinary. Expand Your Mind. Find Your Thing. Make Connections.
We ditched the standard promo ads in favour of:
Meme-style TikToks that actually felt native
Story-led carousels that encouraged exploration
Authentic testimonials that spoke directly to the curious and creatively inclined
High-impact hero videos that showed – not told – what the festival experience was all about
From author stings to meme videos, we matched format and tone to audience – using data, not guesswork, to guide our creative decisions
No fluff. No filler. Just clear, intentional creative that worked.
We delivered 119 ads across 11 weeks, adapting tone and format to each audience and platform. Think meme-style videos for youth, carousel itineraries for curious browsers, author intro’s for loyal fans.
28%
increase in website session
31%
Over target on revenue
Selection of ads run during the 12-week campaign
We didn’t just hit the brief. Collectively we redefined what success looks like for Auckland Writers Festival.
Revenue 28% over target
116,000+ website visits – up 31% from last year
3.7 million ad impressions
Over 64% increase in new users
It was about rewriting the story people tell themselves about the Auckland Writers Festival. It’s no longer “just” for readers – it’s a festival for anyone who’s curious, creative, and ready to be inspired.
We helped shift AWF from a literary niche into a festival with mainstream pull – all while preserving the magic that made it iconic in the first place.
It’s one of our most complex campaigns to date – and also one of the most rewarding.
“Sea Digital bought energy, fresh ideas and creativity and encouraged us to try some new channels and be a bit braver in our marketing strategy. Sea Digital managed our budget constraints very well and delivered value for money. Their responsiveness to questions and meeting deadlines was really impressive. We really enjoyed building a relationship with the team and loved their enthusiasm and desire to meet our robust box office targets as well as enthuse and connect with new customers.”
