CASE 93 / Tourism Queensland / 2009
The Best Job in the World
A genuine paid island job turned destination advertising into an opportunity people could pursue.
AI-assisted research and analysis for the SNS Creative Fieldbook; published by SNS Media Tech. No named human reviewer is claimed.
Sources reviewed 2026-11-05
Campaign credits belong to the original creators. They did not write or endorse this analysis.
Credits: CumminsNitro Brisbane for Tourism Queensland, as credited by The One Show. This is the original 2009 Queensland campaign, not Tourism Australia’s later national Best Jobs campaign.
Recognition: 2009 One Show Best of Show Pencil, Integrated Branding / Integrated Branding Campaign.
Launch / edition: 2009. Award years: 2009.
The problem. The idea. The experience.
Tourism Queensland needed international attention for the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef during a difficult tourism climate. The government launch framed the recruitment as a way to promote the destination through a person’s continuing experience rather than conventional holiday advertising.
How the idea came to life
Announced on 12 January 2009, the offer was a genuine six-month island-caretaker contract worth AUD150,000, based on Hamilton Island. The selected person would explore the islands and publish blogs, photographs and video updates. Accommodation and return flights were included.
How it reached people
Small recruitment advertisements directed people to a campaign website and video applications. Public relations and social networking extended the story; shortlisting created another news moment and gave people a reason to follow the selection process.
Supporting sources: Primary government announcement → Primary government progress report → Primary award archive →
Read the data in context.
The numbers below describe different kinds of outcomes. Their date, scope and reporting source are part of the result.
- Reporting period
- By 3 March 2009
- Scope
- Applications for the original Queensland island-caretaker recruitment, not visitors or bookings
- Evidence
- Queensland Government progress announcement
The Queensland Government reported 34,684 applications when it announced the top 50 on 3 March 2009. That is evidence of response to the opportunity, not evidence that those applicants booked holidays. The One Show records a 2009 Best of Show Pencil.
The creative mechanism.
A desirable, real opportunity makes applicants and news coverage carry the destination story
Make the invitation materially true
The exceptional promise worked as more than a headline because a real role sat behind it. For a smaller brand, the equivalent might be paid fieldwork, a residency or a product-testing assignment. Define duties, selection criteria and compensation before promotion. An exciting opportunity that becomes unpaid promotional labour creates a very different relationship.
Let participation teach the product
An application can prompt people to investigate a destination and explain why it matters to them. That is a deeper interaction than clicking a scenic photograph, but only if the task naturally requires relevant learning. Avoid demanding elaborate free creative work merely to manufacture content volume; the effort should be proportionate to the genuine opportunity.
Plan a sequence beyond the announcement
Recruitment has built-in chapters: the opening, candidates, selection and the work itself. Each chapter answers a different audience question and can reveal another part of the place. A useful plan gives each stage fresh informational value rather than repeatedly announcing that the competition is popular.
Separate dreamers from prospective visitors
A highly attractive job can recruit attention from people who have no ability or intention to travel as customers. Design the next step for observers as well as applicants: practical itineraries, realistic costs and relevant operator offers. Measure that journey separately so application volume does not become a substitute for commercial evidence.
The intended behavior loop
- 01Hear about a real opportunity
- 02Research the destination
- 03Apply or follow the selection
- 04Read the resulting travel stories
Growth job: Create destination awareness → invite active exploration → support travel consideration. This is an interpretation of the mechanism, not an audited attribution model.
A direction to take into the room.
Original editorial interpretation and proposed adaptation. This is a proposed adaptation, not historical campaign execution or a forecast.
The transferable principle
Turn a truthful destination benefit into a genuine role with a transparent process and an observable outcome.
Keep these boundaries
Do not copy the island-caretaker title, promise a lifestyle the role cannot deliver, or treat thousands of applications as thousands of new customers.
Turn the lesson into a test.
Illustrative adaptation, not a historical campaign fact
A small-team experiment
A regional nature business funds one short, paid local field-reporting assignment and publishes the resulting practical visitor guide.
Build the test
- Set a modest fixed fee, eligibility, safety requirements and publication rights before inviting applications.
- Ask for a short explanation of one local question the applicant would investigate, not a finished campaign.
- Publish the selected report with transparent sponsorship and a separate booking-information link for readers.
Measure the right thing
Compare qualified guide readers and itinerary enquiries with normal content; track application cost and applicant satisfaction separately.
Know when to stop
Stop if the recruitment workload exceeds the promised service, permission is unclear or the role cannot be paid and delivered safely.
How this reading fits your brief
Start with the useful part.
Best for: Create destination awareness → invite active exploration → support travel consideration
What to adapt: Turn a truthful destination benefit into a genuine role with a transparent process and an observable outcome.
Prerequisites: Funded genuine role; Fair recruitment and applicant privacy; Tourism partners and safe hosting.
Smaller-team route: A regional nature business funds one short, paid local field-reporting assignment and publishes the resulting practical visitor guide. Constraint: Do not copy the island-caretaker title, promise a lifestyle the role cannot deliver, or treat thousands of applications as thousands of new customers.
Budget: The launch announcement describes an AUD1.7 million global marketing strategy; this is not independently audited expenditure. No cost-fit claim is made.
Trade-offs and evidence: Read the limits below before choosing a test. There is no guaranteed reach, sales lift or ROAS.
Questions for your next brief
- What genuine role would reveal the experience better than a conventional advertisement?
- What useful next step exists for people who will never apply?
Sources & further reading.
Brand and award-entry results are attributed claims, not independent causal audits. Source links open the original third-party pages.
- Queensland Government: New Reef tourism campaign offers best job in the world →Primary government announcement · Supports: 12 January 2009 launch; genuine contract, salary, location, duties and announced budget.
- Queensland Government: Best Job in the World Top 50 announced →Primary government progress report · Supports: 34,684 applications reported on 3 March 2009; selection and conversion distinction.
- The One Show: The Best Job in the World →Primary award archive · Supports: CumminsNitro attribution; recruitment advertising and website; 2009 Best of Show, Integrated Branding.
Independent educational analysis of external campaigns. These are not SNS client projects, endorsements or claims of involvement. Campaign facts and reported outcomes are attributed to their sources. Explanations, adaptations and test plans are original analysis and hypotheses, not proven causal findings.