Austria Tourism’s new campaign playfully turns classic travel bragging on its head, inviting visitors to sign a symbolic non-disclosure agreement before discovering Austria’s lesser-known winter destinations. The campaign was created by Wien Nord Serviceplan.
The idea lives primarily on social media, where short teaser videos hint at insider recommendations from locals while deliberately hiding the most tempting details. Locations are blurred, names are bleeped out, and key moments are obscured, with full access unlocked only after users visit a dedicated website and agree to keep what they discover “confidential.”
Once the NDA is signed, visitors are rewarded with a curated selection of local tips, from quieter ski areas and scenic viewpoints to under-the-radar spas and mountain huts. Rather than stopping sharing altogether, the campaign reframes it—encouraging discovery without mass exposure, and helping redistribute winter tourism away from overcrowded hotspots.
“Today, travelers are looking for authentic experiences that go beyond the usual bucket lists. Austrians love to share their favorite places, but some of these secrets are just too good to give away publicly,” said Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger, CEO of Austria Tourism. “With this creative approach, we want to showcase Austria’s lesser-known attractions in a humorous way and help disperse visitor flows.”
The non-disclosure agreement itself is intentionally light-hearted and carries no legal weight, reinforcing the campaign’s playful approach. The rollout spans multiple European markets, including Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. Social amplification and influencer collaborations are led by Tacsy, while in Germany the idea expands into the physical space with a large-format billboard in Cologne. Featuring a heavily pixelated winter landscape, the execution mirrors the campaign’s core mechanic and invites passersby to scan a QR code that directs them to the microsite.
“Who would let people sign an NDA just to look at an advertisement—especially in this day and age?” said Axel Spendlingwimmer and Michael Maier, the Wien Nord Serviceplan creative duo behind the campaign. “But it makes so much sense: an experience gets so much more special when you are not allowed to talk about it.”
