Another week and another destination expert joins the DMS team.
We are thrilled to welcome Charlie Rutherford to the team as our new Lead Destination Marketing and Campaigns.
Charlie is an outcomes focussed, results driven campaign manager that loves nothing more than developing and delivering strategic, creative and fully integrated campaigns to market. She also has a passion for discovering new places and experiences which always inspires new ideas and a positive (and highly organised) energy on all projects.
Let’s get to know her!
Charlie, welcome! Tell me, do you know what you’re in for working with Carl and Charlotte?
Haha – yes I do and I am very excited about it! I know I need to strap myself in as it will be a wild (and very fun) ride!
Tell us a bit more about your experience in destination marketing.
Well, I know Carl and Charlotte because I was lucky enough to work with them as they were my leaders for some of the time I worked at NSW National Parks & Wildlife. This is where I lead a team of marketers in the strategic development & implementation of fully integrated, multi-channel marketing campaigns aimed at delivering increased visitation.
One of those campaigns was Wild About Whales, that leveraged the emotional connection people feel when experiencing a whale sighting to drive visitation to the coast in the off/shoulder season. This was one of the award winning campaigns I worked on, taking home the national prize for Content Marketing at the Australian Marketing Institute Awards in 2015 & bronze award at 2015 NSW Tourism Awards for Destination Marketing and 2016 ADMA Award for Apps.
Amazing. Any other notable projects that you’ve worked on?
I’ve been very lucky to work on some amazing projects, but the once in a lifetime one would have to be the public health & safety advertising campaign for the NSW Government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A large scale, very complex behaviour change campaign targeting NSW residents to drive COVID safe behaviours using a full range of comms channels with a huge range of stakeholders involved. I started my role as Project Manager on the campaign the day NSW closed the border with VIC for the first time in history, so a very interesting time and an amazing experience to be a part of something so important on a global level.
Can you tell us what you’re working on at the moment?
First cab off the rank is the Marketing Plan for Mackay Regional Council who are building world class mountain bike trails. It’s inspiring my next holiday planning that’s for sure.
Away from work, tell us a bit about yourself.
A mum of three crazy kids, life is busy, but we always take time out in nature and exploring our little region of the northern rivers in NSW. We are a travel loving family, always on the search for the next adventure, we actually spent 2022 travelling this amazing country in a caravan – wow what an experience that was! If not on the road, you’ll find me at the beach, hiking to a waterfall or seeking out a new little winery.
It’s hard for readers to tell but there’s a bit of a strong accent there. Have you been enjoying the Ashes?
Ashes? What’s that?
No, I like to think I’m a true blue Aussie after spending almost half my life downunder, I just cannot shake that cockney accent.
