Kangaroo and unicorn team up in nine-minute Tourism Australia promo

A toy unicorn and a stuffed kangaroo go on a tour of Australia in a nine-minute film to promote the country to potential holidaymakers.

"Come and say g'day" by M&C Saatchi Sydney is the next instalment of Tourism Australia's "There's nothing like Australia" global brand platform.

The live-action film has been directed by Michael Gracey (who also directed The Greatest Showman) through Finch and follows the friendship between Ruby and Louie, who bills himself as a magical unicorn.

Ruby asks his help to get out of her packaging so she can finally see the country. They visit a series of destinations including Uluru, Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef.

Along the way, the pair travel on a boat, a bus and along a river in a hat where they accidentally get swept downstream towards a waterfall.

Tourism Australia's chief marketing officer, Susan Coghill, said: "The use of an animated character, such as Ruby, was a deliberate move that aims to cut through the clutter of destination marketing internationally. Ruby is a versatile fluent brand device that can live across all platforms and channels.

"In tourism advertising, misattribution of destinations is extraordinarily high and the use of famous and recognisable Australian icons, such as a kangaroo, Uluru, Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef throughout the campaign ensures our assets are undeniably Australian.

"It reinforces existing memory structures with consumers and reminds them of what they already know and love about Australia."

Shorter versions of the film will run across TV. It will be supported by print, social and digital creative elements such as 3D billboards. Media planning and buying is being handled by UM.

Cam Blackley, chief creative officer at M&C Sydney, added: "'Come and say g'day' is full of bucket list moments from the director to the actors, the characters and iconic locations. It's been touched by a dedicated team of creative individuals and championed by a client that doesn't just have a progressive vision for advertising but that also truly loves Australia and understands what it takes to motivate the world to visit."