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February 28, 2006
The tourist campaign background and the link to politics. It's a rehashed thongs-and-blue-singlet image of tourist Australia.
Paul Zanetti
The ads feature scenes from around Australia showing everyday Australians pulling beer, swimming, relaxing in the outback and walking camels. It uses unknown Aussies telling the audience that the beers have been pulled, camels shampooed and sharks cleared out of the pool. The ads finish with a young model on a beach asking tourists: "So where the bloody hell are you?"
Now I'm not argue that a tourist campaign should construct Australia as a sophisticated, culturally enriching, vibrant destination. There has to be product differentiation and wilderness is a good one. But sharks in the pool? Most people want to escape sharks not swim with them, surely. Why would I want to come to Australia to shampoo a camel? Aren't beer, wildlife, food and beaches all available in abundance in Thailand or Malaysia?
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