I've just had a look at the video that was created as part of Australia's bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. (That's soccer, by the way).

I know, it is only a sports event, but that's not particularly relevant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDf18N8jJGs

How can we be taken seriously when this is our self-image?

That is truly cringeworthy.

The animated roo looks like Scooby Doo.

As for the rest... the best that can be
said is that we'll be spared the nightmare
of hosting the World Cup.

You are right Pericles- a truly cheesy video offering from our country, trying to secure the World Cup.

I doubt that dreadful clip would bring any plain old tourist here, let alone encourage anyone to hold a world class soccer event here!

Paul Hogan looks as if he has had his whole facial skin pulled as tight as a balloon across his skull!

The kangaroo character looks like the one out of the cartoon 'Blinky Bill', that even Aussie kids thought was a lame show.

How embarrassing.

Come now, you did not think we had any chance at any time did you?
We are too far away and it was never on.
But lets not rubbish the presentation, all types of cartoon type animals play a roll in such and over all while we may want a Kangaroo to look different the world may not care.
Apart from distance the system was against us, we never had the deals others did, or the cash to throw about.
Paul, a Granville drinking mate in another life is now and old man with more botox and plastic surgery than Joan Rivers, along with an American accent he did well to stand up.

We certainly need to stop thinking that the rest of the world think we are amazing folk with these cute little roo's for fun. They don't.
Truth is we are a football back water with little to no chance of growing the game much beyond it's current level. To have given us the cup would have made as much sense as awarding the cricket world cup to Argentina. Never mind time zones and media rights, they were the last nails in the coffin.
Our presentation was typically corny and cleshay just as the USA's was the typical god loves the great country BS that they always put forward. Australians need to take a good look at who we are and what we stand for before trying to kid the world we are just innocent fun loving peoples

I agree it was a bad marketing strategy. They should have targeted their audience (so to speak) more professionally, and not aimed for the type of humour that would only at best be understood locally - It makes you wonder how serious the bid was intended to be? Having said all of that though - I did laugh out loud when I first saw it on TV.

Some what over the top you lot.
I thought that was very cleverly done
Some of AU's best icons in that.
People around that would knock anything.

Exactly, 579

>>Some of AU's best icons in that<<

Here is the video from the winning bid

http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/12/02/3082377.htm

Again, this is not about football, or the World Cup. It is about self-image.

Ye Gods another gelded kangaroo and years after Gough directed public servants to never, ever, allow a neutered roo to again embarrass the coat of arms or represent Australia. Gough even put the fertile rust red blush back on the chest of the red roo (see the colour coat of arms), but now look what those prats who have come after him have done. How dare they remove the roo's dangly bits.

Photo of a buck roo upon viewing that whimpy ad,
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/tanya_dewey/Mrufus_maledz.jpg/view.html

Indeed Pericles, although I must agree with Talisman that this horrid piece of work is probably doing us a favor, considering every major event we've ever hosted has ended up a colossal failure (WYD and APEC being rather obvious- but even the 2000 Olympics success was replaced by a gigantic ghost town easily the size of the entire city CBD once it was over- it simply serves no other purpose).

Anyway, sadly that add is very standard of what we make- it clearly comes from the same old mob of old conservative white guys who clearly lack the most important element of an advertiser- to try to appeal to people who sit OUTSIDE that cringeworthy sub-culture of the "comical kangaroo larikin that laughs at itself" (eg everyone- including, I imagine, them)- that Paul Hogan lived his entire life under.

I also find it hilarious that the only location they could stomach showing a multi-ethnic situation was in a remote desert region (which I might add is probably the one place in Australia where it would be a rare sight indeed to see anyone that wasn't either plain black or white- although I guess the marketers decided they wouldn't be fooling anyone overseas if they were showing racial harmony in Melbourne or Sydney).

Well, I think the presentation was terrific, and with such a good result I hope Anna Bligh uses the same film maker for her bid to spend all the money she got from selling QR to pour into that enclave of horror, the Gold Coast, for Qld's bid for the Commonwealth Games.

With such skills on offer, we will be saved from having yet another moronic sporting industry extravaganza foisted upon us all.

I hope the ATO were not paying Hogan to look like a creature from the crypt, particularly after the much publicised tax-rort accusations recently.

I did think that Gillard's performance was perhaps the most brilliant I've seen her at though, amazingly good, but wasn't it a shame not to have George Pell and Tony Abbott in there too?

God moves in mysterious ways, to save us from ourselves.

Awful. Maybe it is a clever strategy to avoid hosting the World Cup given the cost and not much money left in the coffers.

(Nah, probably not) :)

Surely the videos had very little to do with FIFA’s decision as to who would host the 2022 World Cup.

I bet that if Australia had won, our video wouldn’t be getting half the bagging that it is now. It’s not too bad. I can’t see how it is any worse than the Qatar piece. Ours is much more imaginative. The Qatar one is pretty ordinary.

At any rate, we scored the right result. Good on good ol FIFA for giving it to Qatar.

World cup embarrassment, what a title. A typical loud mouth statement.

Nope- it's still a "where the bloody hell are you" ad that underlies our genuine inability to reach outside our own sphere and see the world from any other perspective than a pisshead bogan mentality that can only percieve a few incredibly basic elements of something (kangaroos, Paul Hogan (ignoring the scandal, because that's what we do, sycophantically forgive celebrities because deep down we're all suckups to tall poppies- especially ones that are known outside Australia), and our only two esteemed athletes, again and again- ironically, neither play soccer)- and believe me, it does NOT endear anyone towards us- it makes most people from abroad squirm.

Actually, the more I analyze the ad the more I support it representing us- it is after all, quite an honest reflection of what our country is really like on a mental level (even down to the finest detail of outlining that our present Prime Minister is only there for show, seeing as she had time to take part in a silly ad).
My only gripe is that we are stupid enough to pay some chimpanzee millions to make this garbage.

In my opinion, LET Qatar have it- surely they could use the tourism, and we could use a break, instead of another security lockdown or another gigantic specially-constructed event center that will immediately fall out of use afterwards.

Why would you give the cup to a nation whose own self professed understanding of itself has not moved one inch in 40 years?
Yes there is tongue in cheek self-parody and then theres is sad and pathetic. The latter won hands down.

Quite right King Hazza.

Was Qatar part of the Empire ever?

Perhaps they could take the Commonwealth Games we are threatened with too?

Rainier

Just read your post.

Now, forgive me, are you talking about Oz or Qatar here:

"Why would you give the cup to a nation whose own self professed understanding of itself has not moved one inch in 40 years?"

Could go either way.

Whew, 46 million $ to obtain a single vote! Luckily we lost,
or the cost would have run into the billions.

When it comes to horse trading, the Arabs and Russians make
us look like schoolgirls, no wonder they won.

So let them pay for the glory, for one huge ego trip is what
its all about in the end.

I was thinking the exact same thing Blue Cross- they are more than welcome to shoulder that event too.
And too right Yabby- we got off lightly;

And to be fair, Qatar HAS come a long way in 40 years (even if it is catching up)- sadly Australia can't quite measure the same progress (even though by all means we should be able to surge way past the rest)!

Quite so King Hazza

I hear Donald Horne is re releasing his 'Lucky Country' book and has not had to update a single line of it, so up-to-date it still is when it comes to 'thinking' in this nation.

Sad but true, Blue Cross;
The only development I've seen is that in urban areas we carbon-copy a few pop culture subgroups to try to look 'modern'- but otherwise have remained in quite the same state of mind.

Yes we have been very lucky.

We could have destroyed the education of half a generation with this thing. We would have had to buss thousands of kids to stadiums all over the country to fill the empty seats.

The amount of schooling they would have missed would have been disastrous for them.

The UK's 'multicultural' bid has attracted criticism at home too. Here is the site with video,

http://www.england2018bid.com/

Blue Cross,

I thought the only thing Donald Horne would be 'up-dating' would be the daisies :)

Joe

Well....What embarrassment indeed.

So...we have a kangaroo that's makes all Australian's look like criminals............Oh the irony.lol.....but its no laughing matter.

Thanks to our Governments shortsightedness.....I think without knowing it, she has got herself involved in the biggest insult since the Paul hogan show. I mean talk about rubbing it in that we were once convicts. History has a way of repeating its self in regards of not making the same mistakes twice. Gillard will just have to live with it I guess, and every new Australian must be absolutely horrified at the blatant cold profile that now the world knows.

Someone said we are (thanks to a few)......... that we are a international joke and some have portrayed ourselves as a bunch of crocodile hunting....beer-drinking morons. ( Iam NO fan of Paul hogan as you can imagine)

I don't know if I will ever lift my head again in public ever again. Now we can add to our profile that we are thieves as well. Iam so glad our PM isn't making us look bad or anything............Geeeeeeeeeeeesssss!

Anyway.....if your not annoyed about, Iam:(

BLUE

Loudmouth, yes, Donald is dead, but some might say that so is Australia when it comes to quite a few things, like portraying itself.

Given that, I didn't think the detail of Donald's death would prevent him from re-publishing, since we are all in 'after life' mode here

when we think about how the govt WASTED 46 million
on this SCAM...all one can do is laugh..ha ha

quatar..got it...lol
see the joke of one vote..[ha ha]

when we add up the total cost of the sports scams globally
it runs into billions..OUR various govt..GIVE

be it mearly free land..or building club houses
or putting in solar-water heaters..[that was a grand scam..cost millions]

building stadiums...
idolitry of perverts..doing embarising things to groupies

look arriound you next time your at the game
not the iq level of those animals arround you

sport is a tort..or a rort
you lot got what you deserved

lol
one vote

its so funny seeing the drunks on tv crying
about a game...lol

the world cup/...lol

its embarising allround
round heads playing with round balls
then the other heads playing with oval balls
then the hockey stiche brigade..swimmers...

moter 'sport'..stadium..or bowls clubs..tennis courts is a particular joke
hoarse racing..boy it just dont stop dont it

so many sport i missed out on
but the sum total..is its a sam..to get your govt members to play the game

the game is get the money
get on the bored..[board]..then get some people you can lead..into overseas junketts...then get on the news...[half of the damm news is sports]

even news papers are half sports destractions,,just like in the ol days of rome...[enter-taint-ment for the mmmmm-asses]

who cant handle the real new=s

ha ha ha
im glad..you lot didnt win
it would only have cost..us mugs more loot

i think you lot have looted enough
ok go cry in ya booze now

poor blooming you
lol

One Under God is fine with the $30billion wasted on religions in Australia.

Your scribblings are hard to follow OUG, have you taken your pills today?

It wasn't that bad - besides as others have said - we had no chance because of the time zone and perception that Australia is a small player. What surprised me, given the vote managing was that Qatar got it, but not Spain/Portugal for 2018. Just goes to show, whichever way you stitch it up - it doesn't always play out. I'd rather have a campain that dependend on a cute, catchy video (despite Julia) that a campaign that was all about buying votes

One Under God is fine with the $30billion wasted on religions in Australia.

Your scribblings are hard to follow OUG, have you taken your pills today?
Posted by The Blue Cross, Friday, 3 December 2010 6:15:20 Pm

Now that was priceless.........lol....my cup of tea just went all over the place lolololol.

BLUE

Spain and Portugal and the beggars of Europe and cannot pay for anything their own citizens need just to survive, so they are hardly going to be seen as a good bet to build anything for this show are they?

Australia is a small football nation, but Asia is large, and not far away.

Australia managed the 'time zone' nonsense, twice, to host the Olympics, and manages the Commonwealth Games, and the Ashes too.

Sport events are run by corruption, because of the monies involved.

Sport is part of the business world, which is part of 'organised crime'.

Had the USA won, would Australians feel any less cheated I wonder?

Some of the angst is also simply displaced false 'pride'.

Australia didn't get it, good or bad, who really cares? Apart from Frank Lowey?

It's not as if it was going to 'change the character' of Australia is it?

Qatar is in 'the middle east' (depending on where you sit to start with) and that is an area that has a lot of football going on.

It is just as legitimate a place to host a farce as our nation.

Good luck to them.

Australia is a small football nation, but Asia is large, and not far away.

Really? It is apparent you do not follow Football of any variety.

let kids have..same faith..[get rid of creed by all means]
but let them have the good of god

before you fill them..with scientific..deceptions..
of secular..athiestic-deciete..
Posted by one under god, Thursday, 2 December 2010 3:04:03 PM

Note: 'get rid of creed by all means' which are opposite sentiments of OUG's you reiterate, totally mixing up spirituality with that of religion or Christianity. How many times does one need to explain all of the differences to you?

There is no World Cup embarrassment after a little dvd/video or film cartoon is produced by politicians/government, as other Nations are always quick to pick up on the transparency involving any country's political or government publications and advertising.

Although next time it may pay Labor to consult with Australian taxpayers prior to releasing hideous material on Australia's behalf.

hey..we are unique
you posting to the wrong topic
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=4150#103613

so i cant respond to your reply

but am seeing blue jokers
and their blue link

so this topic seems to be trying to get me to flame
its not me...that for their failings cop the blame

one blue/joker..makes a joke..about his own abuse of pills
and the other blue one..spills his drug..[coffee]

so lets bring in...drugs in sport
its all part of the game..drugs linked with money
and simplistic blue jokers..thinking their funny

thats the name of the game...
here we have two blue sports..[of sorts]

both trying on their flame..
but even that is part of the sport-rort game

we well know..the way to unsettle the opposition
is to lampoon their mothers..being not beond suspition

but i wont decend..to their level..
..[i ignore fools..such as them blues]
as well as the maroons..[their all looney tunes]

sports is a con
but i refuse to get it on

only the ignorant could not see
so you lot..go take ya drugs
and go watch tv..

thats it..for this topic
..and your flames

im over playing..your sporting..
[rort/tort].. flaming-games

the world cup hick-up
for those who watch the game
so i ignore the simple and silly...[and insane]

whp cant realise..just how they are..incompitantly/predicably...lame

Intelligent most giving beautiful bloke OUG - I love your versus always.

OUG said........but i wont descend..to their level..
..[i ignore fools..such as them blues]
as well as the maroons..[their all loony tunes]

Yes....and your the shining example of totally sane. lol. Since you don't and will never know me......I'll give you the benefit of the doubt OUG:) Just sit back and light up one of those healthy smokes that you clam are so good for you.

This is a football nation bud.......and soccer is for the ladies:)

See! I can do the Ozzy suburbs thing:) and I think you should grow up just a little mate:)

Now! Where are those pills...............Coz I think I have a headache:)

BLUE

This was a last minute cobbled together debacle led by Frank Lowy.Frank has been recently all over the media enhancing his public image.Normally Frank is a private recluse person who pulls the strings of Govt in a surrepticious manner.Why this change of image a tactics? Pericles,can you see suggest reason why we wasted $ 45 million on the whim of Frank?

Hang on Arjay, Lowy has been working on this passionately for
years now. Australian football just happens to be his passion.

He did his best.

See the bright side. The Arabs have put 50 billion $ on the
table, for what is after all, one huge ego trip. We got away
cheap as chips.

Well, if it was Franks passion, Frank could easily have paid for it, not us, who would get nothing from it had it arrived at our doorstop, other than a massive building bill for all the venues, gravy train free tickets for every halfwit politician that wanted to be seen attached to it, and whatever other bludgers there might be grifting their way through life.

Everyone loves Frank, it seems.

The poor boy made good.

Hang on, his contribution to the destruction of towns and suburbs has been the Westfield system of shopping hasn't it?

The privatisation of what should be public space, the town/suburb shopping area.

Thanks for absolutely nothing, Frank.

A bit of socker came up on a TV channel I had been watching.

Within a couple of minutes, before I got around to turning it off, there was some primodona in a yellow shirt, [different colour to the others] running around waving yellow & then red cards around, as if they were weapons.

Perhaps they were as someone started crying.

How can anyone watch this stuff? A very lucky escape.

Hasbeen.........see, that's the impression I got:)

"Perhaps they were as someone started crying.

How can anyone watch this stuff? A very lucky escape."

Its a euro thing.........and that's where it should stay. ( not to say soccer is locally a bad thing, horses for courses )

Give me football,meat-pies,kangaroo,s and Holden cars mate........any-day.

Bunch of big girls.

BLUE