Bloody Hell: This is Us?

Tourism Australia's new 'bloody hell' campaign has attracted lots of publicity in both the local media and overseas—for different reasons. The mainstream media has focussed on the 'bloody' aspect in the campaign's tagline. 'How rude', 'how old-fashioned', 'how ocker', 'how inappropriate for those overseas who may not understand our local vernacular' has been the thrust of much of the popular press. Fran Bailey, our federal Tourism Minister assures us that "testing on 86 focus groups in Australia's top seven tourist markets caused no concern about the 'great Australian adjective' among more reserved Japanese, Chinese or Americans."

As of today 45,000 foreigners have visited the web site. The campaign's a hit or so it seems. But what about us? Are we really comfortable with what's being portrayed? After all, it's meant to be us.

Tourism Australia have certainly done their research here, as you would expect when the campaign is a $180 million spend. The wry sense of humour, the tagline, the images are all quintessentially Australian. But the images of the friendly, sun-bronzed Aussie are now very, very familiar clichés (to us/of us). Here we have a beer drinking outback bloke, a cheery female camel-driver, a young boy with a dab of zinc across across his nose and a bikini girl walking out the water of a pristine beach.  Which is what bikini girls often do—but you get my drift. These are all 'real people' we're told. I'm not trying to be a 'wowser' about all of this as I feel the spirit and mood engendered by the campaign is generally good and effective. (Although I keep thinking a margarine logo will pop up after hearing the 'da, dada, da...' singalong audio). I feel the irreverant nature of the tagline works really well—but David Williamson's thoughts of it all being a little 'prawn on the barbie'-ish is precisely right.

From viewing the TV commercial one could form an opinion that we're largely all 'anglo-Aussies' (though some Aboriginal dancers are shown). What of our celebrated multiculturalness?, what of our cities?, what of a 'big fat king prawn on the barbie?' – it wouldn't be out of place in this campaign. And now I can't stop thinking of margarine...

M&C Saatchi devised the campaign, and one of their 'creative principles' is 'brutal simplicity of thought' and I can't help but feel that has been achieved—the visual language of the ads certainly reflects that, and maybe that's what is required to succeed in attracting visitors from OS—which is of course the purpose of the ads. And this particular agency does have a high 'strike rate'. And thus far the ads are a success.

If the campaign does attract visitors to our shores, they'll be looking pretty hard and travelling quite far to find some of the figures depicted in the ads. Mind you, they will have travelled a very long way to get here in the first place and I wouldn't want to let them down. Time for a beer and... where did I park my camel?

Da dada da, da dada da...

Notes
See the TV commercial here.

Incidentally, in Singapore the word 'bloody' will be replaced by x's and the TV ad will not be screened.

It seems that the agency behind it all, M&C Saatchi, used an English photographer for the shots in the print/web campaign, which has understandably ruffled a few feathers of local photographers. Also involved were the New Zealand agency responsible for the effective 100% Pure New Zealand campaign.

For OS readers of 1+1=3 unfamiliar with 'prawns', insert the word 'shrimp' wherever 'prawn' appears in the text above. And a king prawn? think of a 'really, really big shrimp'.

And – nice type!

Comments

[Nicole]

What I don't get is that it is "Where the bloody hell are YOU?"

If this phrase was actually coming out on an Australian's mouth, it would be "Where the bloody hell are ya?" The girl on the ad sounds ridiculous.

Oh well. When has a tourism ad ever made us proud? As far as I can remember, they have always either upon some aspect of our culture that ultimately humiliates us, or perpetuated the myth that we all live on pristine beaches surrounded by native wildlife.

And the implication that indigenous australians have been 'rehearsing for 40,000 years' just to dance especially for the humble tourist is a bit hilarious.

[Andrew Haig]

In regard to 'ya': A real highlight for me of the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics in 2000 was when the word 'Seeya!' was lit up in lights at the very end of the night. The lights in the stadium were being dimmed, the music fading and then to have this very Oz expression writ extremely large in lights – brilliant!

[Andrew Haig]

There was a great response to this tagline in a 'letter to the editor' in The Age a few days back. It was along the lines of: in Australia, if someone asks "where the boody hell are you?" the normal response is "up shit creek, mate".

Interesting...

[Andrew Haig]

...and in the UK, the word 'bloody' causes offence and will be deleted from the campaign, becoming "So Where the Hell are You?". The mild controversy over this issue is driving UK citizens to the website for the uncensored TVC.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/whats-the-bloody-problem/2006/03/09/1141701635149.html

[Bob the Backpacker]

The ad is ok with me, but it's not the first time I have seen it, take a look at http://www.travelgames.com.au

[Dan]

The Ad is harmless... what isn't harmless are the Spoofs of it..

like this one... it's pretty funny

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3RGkNHr17OU

[Charles]

Well! Well! Jolly hockey sticks old boy, so the bloody poms might be offended by us Aussies, a recent visit to a primary school in the East end of London made even our cheeks rosy, every second word we heard in the playground was brightly coloured, so on your polo horse old son, and be jolly off.

[jonathan]

sanitised ockerism, way too simple, way too politically correct, sorry, where is the ockerism?
bring back aunty jack and rip your bloody arms off- perfectly ok for auntie broadcast at prime family time
not a patch on 'didjahavgoodweekend', better check spelling of that mate,
why would anybody use saatchi- cool for sure, but the british base is locked in
bring on singo or his current version
maybe hoges could dust off the barbi