Humanising a Region and Turning Content into Connection

The Challenge

Murray Regional Tourism (MRT) represents a vast and diverse destination, spanning six Local Government Areas along the Murray River. With so many towns, landscapes, operators and experiences to showcase, their challenge wasn’t a lack of stories. It was how to consistently capture content that felt authentic, human and connected to the businesses that bring the region to life.

At the same time, MRT wanted to:

- Shift away from overly polished destination marketing
- Lean into UGC-style, local, human content
- Strengthen relationships with tourism operators and stakeholders
- Give local businesses a sense of ownership in the region’s storytelling

They didn’t want content that looked like tourism marketing. They wanted content that felt like the Murray.

The Objective

The goal was to reposition MRT’s social presence as a living, breathing reflection of the region by:

- Making the destination feel more human and relatable
- Capturing real people, real places and real experiences
- Strengthening trust and connection with local operators
- Building a repeatable content system that could scale across a large geographic region

The Propel Approach: Boots on the Ground, Not Fly-In Content

Rather than producing content remotely or through one-off shoots, Propel partnered with MRT on a six-month, boots-on-the-ground content capture project. The strategy was built around immersion, not extraction.

1. Regional ImmersionWe travelled across all six LGAs, spending time with local businesses, operators and communities to capture the Murray as it’s actually experienced. This approach ensured content felt lived-in, not staged.

2. UGC-Style, Human-First StorytellingContent was intentionally shot to feel natural, mobile-first and social-native. The focus wasn’t perfect framing. It was moments. Faces. Movement. Atmosphere.

3. Scalable Content SystemEach capture trip generated a deep bank of assets that could be rolled out across MRT’s channels over time, creating consistency without repetition and allowing MRT to show up frequently without burning out local operators.

The Results (6 Months)

The impact of consistent, authentic, boots-on-the-ground content was immediate and measurable:

- 2,447 kilometres travelled across the region
- 55 short-form reels delivered
- 4,733 photos captured across towns, operators and experiences
- +302% increase in engagement rate across social media

This wasn’t just content volume. It represented a fundamental shift in how audiences interacted with MRT’s channels. Engagement lifted significantly as content became more human, more local and more reflective of the region’s lived experience.

What Really Changed

Before working with Propel, MRT’s content leaned toward traditional destination marketing. Since implementing an immersive, UGC-style capture model, their channels began to feel like a window into the region rather than a brochure for it. Stakeholders became part of the storytelling process, not just subjects within it. This strengthened relationships across the region and positioned MRT as a connector between visitors and local businesses, not just a promoter of places.

The Takeaway

Regions aren’t built on landscapes alone. They’re built on people.

By investing in boots-on-the-ground storytelling, MRT shifted from broadcasting the Murray to letting the Murray speak for itself. For tourism bodies managing large, diverse regions, the lesson is simple: authenticity doesn’t scale from behind a desk. It scales when you show up.