Fiji Tourism is leading the celebration of the International Day of Happiness with the launch of its latest campaign, the Project “Shot of Happiness”..
The campaign, in a world where happiness is often measured by likes and filters on social media, wants to restore what real happiness looks like on these platforms.
Following the successful launch of Tourism Fiji’s new global brand platform, Where happiness comes naturally, The new campaign led by Red Havas aims to show how people can embrace the beauty of the unedited moments in their lives and hopes to encourage the world to flex its social media muscles to spark more moments of genuine happiness inspired by the infectious joy and vibrant culture of the Fijian people.
For 24 hours local time on March 20, local Fijians will take over the Tourism Fiji Instagram feed, sharing 24 unfiltered and authentic moments from the 333-island archipelago where happiness comes naturally.
Despite the fact that the hashtag #happy has more than 688 million posts on Instagram, studies show that almost a third of people around the world do not feel happy. What’s more, research shows the harmful effects that filtered and edited images can have on mental health and body image.
The Project “Shot of Happiness”. saw Tourism Fiji enlist the help of where happiness comes naturally, their local community, to capture everyday moments of true happiness. Armed with a handful of disposable cameras, they had one task – to take one picture of what makes them happy. No repeats, no filters, no adjustments – just real happiness in the moment. The result is a collection of images that tell visual stories that shine with the pure, unfiltered joy that the island nation prides itself on.
What’s more, Tourism Fiji is encouraging the rest of the world to get involved and join their movement by sharing their own unfiltered photos of pure happiness on social media today.
Dr. Leah Waters, a positive psychology expert specializing in happiness: “Research shows that the increase in social media in our lives has negatively affected our happiness and life satisfaction levels, but constant comparison between ourselves and false images of happiness.”
“Exposure to sunlight, connecting with nature and being in a community that focuses on sharing can help us feel more grounded, and valuing these things over material possessions is something we can learn from the Fijians, as it makes them so happy. With that in mind, there is no better nation to take the lead in changing perceptions of happiness around the world.”
Fiji Tourism Marketing Director Emma Campbell: “We know consumers are looking for meaningful travel experiences and in a world where Instagram vs Reality is a culturally significant phenomenon, Project “Shot of Happiness”. aims to debunk the world’s idea of what happiness looks like on social media and give the world an idea of what it can see and experience in Fiji.
“The campaign continues to build on the momentum from our recent launch of a global brand platform that nods to our existing brand platform for happiness, but flips the narrative by instead telling the story from the visitor’s perspective, showing that the source of happiness , which a Fiji vacation brings is the Fijian culture itself.
Host/Havas Executive Creative Director John Austin: “We are excited to work with the wider Havas Village to build on the Where Happiness Comes Naturally brand platform and narrative.
“We think the world can learn a lot from Fiji and are proud to be the ones who get the opportunity to shine a light on the amazing island nation and a way of life that doesn’t require filters, effects or tons of photos to show true happiness.”
Do you have anything to say about this? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Or if you have news or a tip, drop us a line at [email protected]
Sign up for the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.