'See You Soon' Used Handwritten Notes to Get People to Visit Albany

'See You Soon' is a charming campaign developed by 303 for 'Albany 2026', and a celebration of the city's 200-year history. The campaign invites the rest of Australia to explore it, and features only locals in the film. 

Art director Sarah Cassell, copywriter Ellysia Burton, and 'Albany 2026' coordinator Adam Gregory explain to LBB's Lilya Murray the process of creating the work and the significance of handwritten notes for the OOH.

​LBB> I love the fact that all locals feature in this campaign – what was the process like of getting them on board?

Sarah> There’s one woman to thank for finding our campaign heroes: the formidable Janet. Our production partner Clockwork and the City of Albany team knew that as a proud Albany local and president of the local theatre company, she was just the person to bring everyone together.

She listened to our brief, got the word out, and got the right characters involved. All with the insights only Janet would have, like who’d be late and who’d need snacks.

Ellysia> Finding Albany locals that wanted to be involved was actually the easy part (at least for us, thanks Janet!) and everyone was very confident being on stage, keeping that confidence going in new spaces -- like a recording booth or in front of a camera strapped to our director's chest -- was the fun challenge.

We asked our long list of eager stars to show up exactly as they are, and show up they did, some 30 minutes early they were so excited. But naturally when you put them in front of a microphone or say ‘action’ people almost don’t know how to be themselves.

So the key was creating an environment where they could forget they were being recorded and that starts with great production partners and relationships.

We got to know our talent as people first before anything started rolling, and then from then on it was keeping the vibes on set friendly, joking, and overall positive. Some of our favourite moments both in film and radio were unscripted conversations, or emotions between real families that we [couldn't] have faked even if we tried.

LBB> I also love the idea of written invites for the OOH executions, even if the notion of posting a letter with a stamp feels almost outdated. What was the strategy behind the handwritten notes?

Ellysia> It might seem outdated, but bring back pen pals, we say. There’s nothing quite as thoughtful or meaningful than receiving a handwritten letter, no matter how old you get. Every word counts when you’re writing it out. It’s not the same as having indulgent social posts -- and that’s coming from a copywriter.

We wanted the campaign to feel real, which meant looking at each channel slightly differently. In the absence of having the iconic Albany voices or faces, we challenged ourselves to figure out how we could represent them in OOH.

Sarah> When you take away autocorrect or the ability to backspace, and put a pen in someone’s hand, they can’t help but write a message in their own way. There’s an inherent honesty in their words, which, much like handwriting, just can’t be replicated. It’s a very intimate experience between the writer and reader, which goes a long way in making these invitations feel like they’re coming from a friend you’d like to visit. That was always our ultimate goal.

You typically handwrite a message that just can’t wait. With our notes, especially because they’re written on miscellaneous scraps, you can really sense the excitement of the locals to have you there in 2026.

LBB> Was there any particular highlight of Albany that the campaign was shaped around?

​Ellysia> I think it was a sense of connection. The more people we spoke to about Albany when we were looking for inspiration, the more stories we heard of a relative living there, or family holidays and traditions of visiting Albany. Everyone had some kind of connection to the place. Albany felt so warm and inviting already that our campaign ultimately became about finding a way to bottle up that feeling and share it with as many people as possible.

Sarah> There’s already a lot to love about Albany. Add in calendar full of events, and there’s almost too many highlights to list. We needed a higher order thought, and for all the reasons Ellysia said, we landed on connection. That’s the emotional hook, the bit that pushes you to the website or pushes you to go that bit further down the coast.

LBB> What was the strategy of the campaign?

Adam Gregory> The strategy emerged from an early campaign development session led by 303 with key stakeholders, where the focus extended beyond tourism metrics to the hopes and aspirations for Albany 2026, Western Australia’s first bicentenary.

While increasing visitation was an obvious objective, a recurring theme was the desire for Albany 2026 to bring people together and foster a renewed sense of pride among locals.

From there, the idea of making people the hero of the campaign took shape. This aligned strongly with the insight that visiting friends and family is one of the primary drivers of travel.

Rather than selling Albany as a destination, the campaign invites the rest of the country to see it as a place where someone they know is waiting for them. That insight became the emotional heart of 303’s campaign, with the handwritten letters and tactile aesthetic emerging as a natural extension of that idea.

LBB> What special moments does the campaign celebrate?

Adam> Albany is already well-known for its spectacular landscapes, rugged coastline, and beautiful beaches, so this campaign deliberately leans into the quieter, more personal moments.

It celebrates good local produce, spontaneous conversations, shared laughter at markets, and that perfect coffee stop you remember long after you leave. These are the moments that aren’t just scenic but felt. They’re the experiences people take home with them, and the reason they want to come back.

We were particularly impressed by 303’s ability to create a tourism campaign that felt genuinely different to the picturesque scenes we’ve relied on in the past. It felt unique and original, but also deeply authentic and true to Albany.

LBB> What do you hope this campaign achieves for Albany?

Adam> 'See You Soon' is about creating space for Albany 2026’s major cultural events and stories to shine. We hope visitors are drawn into an experience that is led by Menang Noongar culture, where they are invited to listen, learn, and participate in moments of genuine cultural exchange and reconciliation.

In practical terms, we’re looking for increased visitation and economic uplift, particularly around major events like 'Lighting the Sound' and during shoulder and off-peak periods.

Equally important, though harder to measure, is the impact on local pride. We’ve already done an initial pulse-check survey and are interested in how that sense of pride and connection evolves over time.

Beyond immediate visitation, the long-term ambition is to reposition Albany in people’s minds as a place worth returning to again and again, not just for its landscapes, but for its living culture, depth of story, and the meaningful connections formed here.