Onya Irfan, Aussie Aussie Aussie - Oi, Oi , Oi

Why the could not have used the Mary Donaldson factor is a mystery romance yes trailer park trash no.

A "carefully crafted and well-researched campaign".

Well I've done a lot of feasibility studies and business cases in my time, and one thing you always do is risk analysis.

I'd suggest there was absolutely no risk analysis of this advertising campaign. If they had done it, they would have looked at the risk that the ads would not be approved in the UK and some other countries. Easy enough to find out in advance, I would have thought.

Well-researched? You've got be be bloody well joking.

Hi all

Irfan

I read it on your blog & was hopeful that you'd place it in the OLO site for debate

Well stated. Australians are individuals. But we don't need to prove that we're also discoureous & crass.

No doubt that the "marketing machine" will give themselves unwarranted self-praise?!

With Scott MORRISON's dismissive attitude, I wonder whether he ever deduced that I left the Liberal Party for the same reasons?

Maybe if we want to invite more Americans to this country we could borrow some of the confiscated porn that's been sent to us, repackage it & send it back in a tourist-welcoming advertising package specifically aimed for the unseemly parts of New York or LA? Just a suggestion!

Thanks Irfan for objecting to what relegates us to a Third World country - inappropriate language sent to multi-ethnic nations, whose language comprehension is different to ours.
(20/3/06)

Vioetbou (post 10:30:35 AM 20/3/06)

No one but the Danes & Tasmania would know who Mary Donaldson is. Oh, & those who saw her at the Opera House.

However, she does typify "class".
(20/3/06)

AMSADL (post 10:39:10 AM 20/3/06)

Well stated!

Think when the research was undertaken to assess its suitability they interviewed Aussie morons [Greek for intelligence of 7-year old].

Maybe it wasn't so much a "feasibility study" as a 'feeble study'?
(20/3/06)

To all

John HOWARD, shame on you for thinking that that was OK for export.

Maybe we could reinvigorate Paul KEETING's little parliamentary indescretion & send a separate advert to Malaysia calling their PM "a recalcitrant"? That's pretty Aussie too.
(20/3/06)

Cheers all

This reminds me of an incident many years ago, being walked through an advance showing of an advertising campaign prepared for the company I then worked for.

Creative Director (for it was he): So, what do you think of it?

Me (bemused): It doesn't make a great deal of sense to me.

CD (deep sigh): Well of course it doesn't. It isn't targetted at you.

So if this campaign seems stupid - don't worry, that's simply because it's not aimed at you.

Fortunately, no-one will ever be able to tell whether this campaign is a) more, b) less or c) equally successful as those that preceded it.

How much do we hear, for example, about the success (or otherwise) of the "Brand Australia" campaign launched with great fanfare in May 2004?

Does this sound familiar at all?

"Federal tourism minister Joe Hockey today unveiled a new $360 million global tourism marketing campaign featuring the tagline ‘Australia. A different light’.... ATC managing director Ken Boundy said "the ... new Brand Australia - a unique marketing approach - is a major shift away from traditional tourism marketing and will help differentiate Australia from its competitors,"

$360 million, eh? And the value it created was... what?

This is the last we will hear of this campaign, and the last we will see of our money.

(Intriguingly, Joe Hockey was also, at the time, Minister for Small Business. This turned out to be a poor mix of portfolios - the tourist industry gave him far more opportunities to stay in luxury hotels, travel overseas and flit from cocktail party to cocktail party.)

In the end, it doesn't matter a hoot whether the campaign is good, bad or indifferent - when was the last time you chose an overseas destination on the basis of its advertising campaign?

I don't usually come within a bull's roar of agreeing with Irfan, but in this case I agree that the commercial is crass, as was sending an 18 year old girl, then a twittering tourism Minister to the UK to try to overturn the ban on bloody there. Not that 'bloody' is particularly offensive, but was it really necessary?

It seems that we have come no further than the days of Hoges and prawns on the barbie. We do have beautiful beaches and natural attractions, but there is so much more that visitors could be interested in.

I think that the days when foreigners were enraptured by the 'ocker' image are well and truly over.

C'mon,

When enacting a marketing campaign, the rule is any publicity is good publicity.

Remember that the issue is a word that is used, not the quality of the advert, and this is perfect for brand awareness and overall reach of the campaign.

How many of these campaigns before this one have had so much free publicity?

As for sending 2 ladies to fight the ban in England, what a stroke of common sense. Who is more likely to be convincing on the intent of the ad? Smiling polite Aussie ladies or hard nosed men?

Give them a break, the worst thing that we can do is a culture is move away from 'shrimp on the barbie', we want a point of difference and if 'bloody' is a 21st century representation of Australians attitudes, i think we show the world we have evolved without loosing our identity. Great.

Look, if it were me i probably would not have used it, but whoever put this together did a great job in bringing the Worlds attention to Australia as it progressively gets out there.

Bravo, if some are turned off and dont want to come here due to this word, they would not have enjoyed and embraced Australia, and Australians anyway.

For the under 35 demographic, especially in the UK, this is genius.

Still the old Aussie cringe or reverse ockerism. Agree with Irfan[you are having a good day Irf]
I should imagine that the mentality of those who dreamed up this stupid,crude piece of garbage would be on a par with whoever thought Pluckaduck should be the symbol of the Games opening night.
And they get paid for it!

Viewer response in the chilly northern spring.
He: (Thinks "Phowar, thats a bit of orright") Well, luv, I think we should check out online bookings for Oz right now."
She: (Thinks: How can she breathe with that bikini bra, it's about 2 sizes too tight? Looks like a dangerous harpy and the saucy language, all a bit worrying) It's a bit dangerous,there are all those sharks and crocodiles and things. I think its off to the seaside again this year although we could have a little adventure on the Costa Brava, the charther air fares are really good."
Result: NO SALE. How does this ad appeal to the family decision maker, if not the one with a right of veto. An expensive campaign which does not understand the tourism spending decision. No, the ocker culture does not appeal to 50% of men and 90% of women so why persist with this type of campaign?
Would it be cynical to suggest its to show voters we're doing something-- and that any publicity is good (electoral) publicity?

The ad itself is harmless enough but not very good - the New Zealand and West Australian ads are far superior

Realist - I don't think that "any publicity is good publicity" in this case. The unkind comments towards the British people that have resulted from the ban - that they are pompous, hypocritical and lack sense of humour - were widespread and are likely to put a lot of peoples backs up. You can be sure that the British press will not have missed it. Maybe over-reacting but marketing is about knowing your audience.

It is obvious that the ad was deliberately intended to be controversial and would attract more publicity because of it. The British aren't stupid and will figure out that Tourism Australia is trying to manipulate and humiliate them and it won't go down all that well. The Brits are great at putting themselves down and laughing about it but it doesn't extend to having others do so. Fortunately the British do love Australia and many have relatives here so will still come despite the ad.

Apart from the British and possibliy the Scandinavians I think most people will just wonder what on earth it is about. Why do Aussies keep portraying themselves as unsophisticated and desperate when there is so much to offer

People will not treck halfway across the world unless they are looking for something different.

Money can go alot further elsewhere in other countries, we dont want to be compared with europe or the US, so why just because a few of us now drink lattes and go to the opera do we want to brand ourselves this way. Being Aussie does not go out of Vogue, Steve Irwin and Paul hogan, 20 years apart can show you that.

Stick to what works. Australia is about the land, flora and fauna, the sun, and yes, the easygoing nature of the people. I will not go to Sydney from London to watch Opera or go clubbing, when i have better options closer to home.

Be realistic, poor ad some might say, but we got to stick with our strenghts, and what people come here for.

Yes, in terms of purchasing power etc it may be directed at the wrong demographic, but i trust the judgement of these people who have spent plenty of money researching their market.

Australia is not the centre of the Universe, people dont give a crap how far we have come, so has every other bloody nation. There is a fine line between our unbeatable point of difference, and just another country, it is the way we express ourselves that makes the difference.

Good stuff, Aussie lingo is loved by many overseas, so without knowing what it means i cant wait to see the first Japanese tourist saying Australia was 'bloody Awesome'.

We are not all as good as we thing we are, what else can we market more effectively?..........i encourage those amoungst you with the nouse to go ahead and tell us.

Bloody oath it's crass, that's Australia mate, that's the way we are. If you are not impressed I suggest a long, long, holiday in Pakistan.

Irfan is coming from a different world to Crass Australia. The Advertising world changes with the market.
You could hardly describe Lisa of ‘Blue Heeler,’ & now Coles promotion, as Crass or Boring.
The Kiwi’s do no how to promote a product, or a Country, best of all Cheese. Remember the
“Friend in the Fridge” for Mainland Cheese. Best yet, and Kiwi cheese, tasty.

Well, the campaign was approved in the end & maybe I am being pragmatic but bothering to call it crass would be akin to objecting to those "Bugger" ads; which incidently, came from NZ. Besides, how could anyone who confuses Jimmy Barnes with talent dare to make any kind of cultural critique? We don't get our talent from NZ, just the kind of bands that your in-laws listen to.

Controversial enough to grab that attention and it certainly has grabbed some attention in this post.

The advertisement has aligned itself with the the Olympics in Melbourne and gives it a better the word "Bloody" a much better tone.

The discovery of advertisments aired in England in the past which contain the word "Bloody". There is debate regarding the ban.

However it would not be something that I would like aired during childrens time in front of the Television, which does limit its exposure.

Sell our land, sell our utilities, sell our professionals, sell our education system, sell our accent, sell ourselves.

Sell Australia, sell the Australians like cattle. Do I hear 200? Do I hear 250? Going once, going twice, three times and SOLD to the bloke with the global conglomerate in his back pocket..

Why not just stamp a bloody barcode on our foreheads. Maybe we need to feel the pain of the branding iron on our collective asses just to wake up.

As one old farmer once told me: 'One day Australians will wake up to find the horse has truly bolted'.

For those who put money as Number 1 in their lives: go stick it where it fits.

In the words of one old Italian-born fruit-and-veg shop owner I knew: 'Money - nothing'.

Geez, mate, get a grip!!

I seriously doubt that “some readers may be wondering why better-heeled overseas visitors than normal are flying into Auckland or Wellington.” Surprisingly, I haven’t come across any Aussies lately scratching their heads and asking worriedly about some sort of supposed upsurge in NZ tourism to the detriment of our own tourism industry.

In fact, it may be somewhat disappointing for our visitors to have previously read a ‘sophisticated’ brochure ‘couched in heavenly language’ (vomit) only to step outside the airport and be confronted with a cabbie enquiring equably, ‘where ya off to, mate?’ We don’t want to be accused of false advertising now, do we? Perish the thought!

Unfortunately, your article, and many of the comments above, conveys an elitist school of thought that we have been trying to eliminate for the last two hundred odd years … it appears we have a way to go yet.

Hi all

Pericles (post 11:44:25 AM 20/3/06)

Well said!

Joe HOCKEY's office at North Sydney was 'allegedly' a strange mix of staff who distrusted each other. The solution? He off-loaded to Bruce BAIRD & others.
(20/3/06)

Leigh (post 1:00:12 PM 20/3/06)

Yep, let's support Irfan where he's moral, ethical, correct & clearly understands the Tourism Minister's ineptitude.
(20/3/06)

Realist (post 1:33:55 PM 20/3/06)

The trouble with your logic is that most tourists don't actually mix with people like that. The "back-packers" might, but they aren't the big spenders.

If Australia appeals to sub-35ers who don't mind dropping the regular clanger, they ought to come here regardless of the language.
(20/3/06)

mickijo (post 2:33:03 PM 20/3/06)

Irfan for Tourism Minister, eh? Well, maybe not just yet.

Pluckaduck as the symbol of the Games? What a genius you are "mickijo". Let's make Darryl SOMERS the PM! He can play drums, he can play drums .... He certainly can't commentate without a really good support-team!
(20/3/06)

Remote centreman (post 2:37:17 PM 20/3/06)

You're a sceptic! But me thinks you're right.
(20/3/06)

sajo (post 3:03:19 PM 20/3/06)

Your comment ".. keep portraying themselves as unsophisticated and desperate .." sums it up.
(20/3/06)

SHONGA (post 3:52:28 PM 20/3/06)

Crass some of us may be. But "we don't need to tell 'em to f**k off" before they get here.

The "big spending" tourists who stay in plush hotels & go on pre-booked tours are generally families or retired groups. They don't normally talk that way in public.
(20/3/06)

ELIDA (post 8:27:05 PM 20/3/06)

I'm a "dinky-di" Aussie but I likewise admire Irfan's stance.

You're so right: Lisa McCUNE is 'classy' not crass. The advertising is quality.

“Friend in the Fridge” is very clever, & their tourism ads are likewise appealing. Their Air New Zealand advertisements with delectible Liza WILKINSON's husband, Peter FITZSIMON were worth viewing. Mind you, I'd still fly Qantas.

Nor should we forget the very clever Westpac ads during the Sydney Olympics, or the current Cadbury chocolate commercials. There's creative talent available. We don't need to swear to prove it.
(20/3/06)

Cheers all

LittleAgreeableBuddy,
How fortunate we all are to have you in our midst, the possessor of all that is right and wonderfull.

Buddy in a yank term mate, not an Australian one, perhaps you should do a little Australian study, before you open your big mouth.

For contemporary Australia the ad is appropriate .

Silly ad for silly place .

We are all a bunch of know it alls.

Look at us, getting on here every day piping up with our well informed comments from Muslims to Government to Trivial Issues, it cracks me up how seriously some of us take it, and how much we know on everything, we are worse than the bloke at the end of the bar at every local pub!

Just remember all, we dont agree with everyone on everything even the people we love most in this world we disagree and argue with at times. Dont get me wrong, i am not going soft, but sometimes i do have a laugh at myself and some of you with the passion we have for some issues.

Keep it up folks, but dont get too frustrated and remember what this is for, its not to create enemies, especially the God Botherers who throw mud at each other on every religion article. Go and have a drink (tea or something) together, you will have more in common than you think.

realist, surely you can see that 'it is by far a better thing to do' to get up here and tell everyone else how wrong they are than keep it all in and kick the cat if it comes within reach.
This is good magging. Saves the poor bloody cat too.