TimeZoneOne Celebrates 25th Anniversary as the Industry Leader in Travel, Tourism and Destination Marketing in Chicago and New Zealand

CHICAGO: TimeZoneOne (TZO), a global creative communications agency, has a lot to celebrate going into its 25^th anniversary, as the agency has built itself to be the industry leader in travel, tourism and destination marketing across the globe. Founded in Christchurch, New Zealand with global headquarters for the past 16 years in Chicago, TimeZoneOne has pioneered cross-culture business development by implementing dual hemisphere office collaboration between North America and New Zealand, and multiple countries in between. As a result, the creative agency has applied brand building and digital communications solutions that have achieved results for a diverse roster of clients around the world, helping to achieve 230% growth over three years while increasing staff from 29 to 45 employees across offices and generating annual revenue of USD $6.8m.

“Coming from New Zealand to Chicago more than 10 years ago, I made it my mission to build an authentic cross-culture infrastructure between our New Zealand and North American locations to benefit TZO clients, as well as our employees,” says Daniel Thomas, TimeZoneOne CEO. “We don’t let little things like continental borders and oceans slow our business development or innovative energy. We put the right skill sets in place from whichever market we work, to ensure the best ideas are being generated and executed for the success of our clients no matter where they reside.”

Through TimeZoneOne’s international collaboration efforts, the agency is helping promote Australasian talent and insights in North American markets, as well as bringing North American knowledge to its Australasia markets, Thomas adds. TZO has capitalized on a diverse talent pool, employing individuals that hail from around the globe including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Pakistan, Philippines and the United Kingdom, in addition to New Zealand and the U.S.

Building Brand Recognition in Chicago

TimeZoneOne’s destination marketing expertise extends across the globe, as the creative agency has an impressive roster of travel and hospitality clients as it enters its 25^th year of business. Since 2017, TZO has been the PR agency of record for the Illinois Office of Tourism (IOT), executing digital marketing, web development and public relations work. In its first year of earning the business, TZO relaunched the IOT website, which led to U.S. Travel Association’s Mercury Award for outstanding travel website. And in 2018 TZO’s digital and communications campaigns resulted in more than 965 domestic earned media placements, a 43 percent increase in website traffic and 363 percent increase in social media traffic. In addition, TimeZoneOne has also been the agency of record for five years for The Magnificent Mile - developing the digital passport technology - which gives members mobile access to exclusive offers and promotions - as well as providing website redesign support and more. The Chicago headquartered agency most recently wrapped comprehensive creative, digital advertising and PR campaigns for the The Chicago Wolves 25th Anniversary and ‘Last Team Standing,’ initiatives. The agency has also worked with iconic Chicago brands, like Garrett Popcorn Shops and Frango in recent years.

“To say that TimeZoneOne understands the Chicago market is an understatement. We have solidified ourselves as “the” Chicago tourism industry agency, as our team of creatives, PR pros and digital and content developers have embedded themselves into fully understanding and connecting with the city’s rich history and culture to better serve our local clients and reach target audiences in a more meaningful way.” says Thomas. “Honing the tourism niche in Chicago has proven TZO’s destination marketing potential, and we plan to reach far and wide to serve other markets in the U.S. and around the world in the future.”

Bringing Stories to Life in New Zealand

TimeZoneOne’s Australasian–North American expertise and integrated business approach was recently utilized by Air New Zealand for the airline’s inaugural direct flight between Auckland and Chicago in November 2018. TimeZoneOne leveraged its in-depth knowledge of tourism trends in both markets to create one-of-a-kind, on-the-ground experiences in Chicago, which included developing detailed media trips showcasing the Midwest as a premier destination for Kiwis and Aussies, while offering New Zealand and Australia as an accessible destination for North Americans.

“While TimeZoneOne places strong emphasis on our destination and tourism marketing practices across New Zealand and the U.S., the agency has built itself on a vast portfolio of major global brands in multiple countries, including Crocs, the U.S. Army and more,” notes Thomas. “Having our all-star teams generate award-winning work for globally recognized brands on multiple continents has been an honor, and we look forward to growing and elevating our client work and talent pool even more over the next 25 years”

In addition, TimeZoneOne has lead initiatives for some of New Zealand’s most popular household brands and businesses, including Kiwicare - one of New Zealand’s leading home and garden experts, in which TZO launched its redeveloped website 18 months ago. The agency also lead the brand refresh and continues to support digital development needs for SKOPE Refrigeration, the largest commercial refrigerator retailer and producer in the country. Other New Zealand and Australia-based clients include Top 10 Holiday Parks, Massel Australia, Lake Wanaka Tourism, and Whale Watch Kaikoura.

TimeZoneOne’s client roster extends beyond New Zealand and Chicago, as the agency also supports premier clients such as, Expedia, Panorama Mountain Resort, Calgary Tower and Airports Council International, to name a few. And although the agency is a leader in the travel space, TimeZoneOne believes its expertise in tourism and destination marketing makes the agency stronger in other disciplines, as staff is inspired to look at other industries with a more creative focus and emphasis on driving consumer education, interest and action.

For more information about TimeZoneOne and its global client work, please visit timezoneone.com. 

About TimeZoneOne:

TimeZoneOne is a global community of storytellers who deliver exceptional marketing results. Specializing in destination marketing, TimeZoneOne also works with educational institutions, membership organizations and consumer and B2B brands to grow their businesses. Founded in New Zealand in 1994, TimeZoneOne’s global headquarters is in downtown Chicago, with offices in Toronto, Canada and Christchurch, New Zealand; strategic partners in the UK, Japan, Germany, Mexico and China; and clients in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, go to timezoneone.com.