06 July 2006
By TRACEY ROXBURGH
Forget Invercargill being a place where "dreams come true" or the "City of Water and Light".
According to ANZ Bank, the most marketable feature of the world's southernmost city is that it's as far away from Auckland as you can get.
So it put up a sign saying just that welcoming people to Invercargill on State Highway 1 at the entrance to the city.
Auckland rugby players Patrick Leaupepe and Lomani Tongatonga, who moved to Invercargill to play for Southland, don't miss the lattes on Ponsonby Rd and are quite happy to be "as far away from Auckland" as they can get.
"That's cool," Leaupepe said when he first eyed the bright blue sign with the words attributed to the bank's customer services manager, while Tongatonga thought the advertisement was pretty funny.
ANZ spokesman Craig Howie said the billboard was one of several in different regions of the country, which had come to fruition after consultation with branch offices and the ANZ marketing team.
"ANZ strongly identify and support local communities where it works and Invercargill is certainly a part of that," Mr Howie said.
"It's a special place with its own characteristics.
"The marketing team worked with our local people in Invercargill and came up with the idea and thought we could perhaps have some fun along the way.
"It's obviously caught some eyes."
However, Mr Howie doubted any Aucklander would be offended by the sign – "I think they've got thick enough skin not to be" – and assured Southlanders nowhere in the country was there a billboard poking fun at Invercargill.
Bahahahaha *yay* for Invercargill :lol:
By TRACEY ROXBURGH
Forget Invercargill being a place where "dreams come true" or the "City of Water and Light".
According to ANZ Bank, the most marketable feature of the world's southernmost city is that it's as far away from Auckland as you can get.
So it put up a sign saying just that welcoming people to Invercargill on State Highway 1 at the entrance to the city.
Auckland rugby players Patrick Leaupepe and Lomani Tongatonga, who moved to Invercargill to play for Southland, don't miss the lattes on Ponsonby Rd and are quite happy to be "as far away from Auckland" as they can get.
"That's cool," Leaupepe said when he first eyed the bright blue sign with the words attributed to the bank's customer services manager, while Tongatonga thought the advertisement was pretty funny.
ANZ spokesman Craig Howie said the billboard was one of several in different regions of the country, which had come to fruition after consultation with branch offices and the ANZ marketing team.
"ANZ strongly identify and support local communities where it works and Invercargill is certainly a part of that," Mr Howie said.
"It's a special place with its own characteristics.
"The marketing team worked with our local people in Invercargill and came up with the idea and thought we could perhaps have some fun along the way.
"It's obviously caught some eyes."
However, Mr Howie doubted any Aucklander would be offended by the sign – "I think they've got thick enough skin not to be" – and assured Southlanders nowhere in the country was there a billboard poking fun at Invercargill.
Bahahahaha *yay* for Invercargill :lol:
..but thats just me.
