Tourism Australia have done it again. Their new tv commercial is generating a ton of talk, but not the kind they were hoping for.
Australian marketing and advertising site Mumbrella posted an article about the new commercial with some quotes from the creators and within an hour the post had over fifty comments. Here are a few examples-
“Im embarrassed to be Australian. Really really embarrassed. When will we shake these dowdy, 50 year old stereotypes??”
“Because we all carry around Koalas and 4WD amongst herds of Kangaroos. Ridiculous.”
Judging by the public’s response, there is a serious disconnect between the way Australia would like to have their culture perceived globally and the way Tourism Australia would like to sell Australia as a destination. I had a quick look around the TA YouTube page and I can honestly say, it’s not just the public who are confused.
The original clip for the “There’s nothing like Australia” campaign asked Australians to prove that there was more to Australia than just the Crocodile Dundee stereotype:
Tourism Australia asked the public to show that they’re not all beer drinkers who hang out at the beach and throw another shrimp on the barbie.
And what did they get?
A shot of a group in a pub drinking beer-
And someone throwing another one on the barbie-
All this, set to an ear splitting musical.
I have done some research and I’d like to offer a few comments and suggestions to Tourism Australia. First, Australia has more than one pull factor and more than one target demographic. As a generalization, the 18 to 25′s are not visiting for the same reasons that the 35 to 60′s are.
The Facebook generation (18 to 25) are more ego than eco. They’re on the hunt for the perfect profile picture and a video clip to show to their friends back home, but they’re also looking for a good time. Most younger travellers I have met in Australia are here for great wine, unique art and the thriving music scene, three things that weren’t even featured in the video.
All I’m asking is take the confusion out of the message! Don’t try to target everyone with one video, it may have worked in the past, but it’s not going to work anymore. Leverage each market separately, appealing to the different age related motivating factors, and finally, keep your message consistent. If Tourism Australia’s own message keeps changing, they have to expect that the public is going to feel some frustration. Hopefully the next Tourism Australia campaign is able to show the world why Australians love to live here.
Australian Tourism commercial causes extreme frustration
Australian marketing and advertising site Mumbrella posted an article about the new commercial with some quotes from the creators and within an hour the post had over fifty comments. Here are a few examples-
“Im embarrassed to be Australian. Really really embarrassed. When will we shake these dowdy, 50 year old stereotypes??”
“Because we all carry around Koalas and 4WD amongst herds of Kangaroos. Ridiculous.”
Judging by the public’s response, there is a serious disconnect between the way Australia would like to have their culture perceived globally and the way Tourism Australia would like to sell Australia as a destination. I had a quick look around the TA YouTube page and I can honestly say, it’s not just the public who are confused.
The original clip for the “There’s nothing like Australia” campaign asked Australians to prove that there was more to Australia than just the Crocodile Dundee stereotype:
Tourism Australia asked the public to show that they’re not all beer drinkers who hang out at the beach and throw another shrimp on the barbie.
And what did they get?
A shot of a group in a pub drinking beer-
And someone throwing another one on the barbie-
All this, set to an ear splitting musical.
I have done some research and I’d like to offer a few comments and suggestions to Tourism Australia. First, Australia has more than one pull factor and more than one target demographic. As a generalization, the 18 to 25′s are not visiting for the same reasons that the 35 to 60′s are.
The Facebook generation (18 to 25) are more ego than eco. They’re on the hunt for the perfect profile picture and a video clip to show to their friends back home, but they’re also looking for a good time. Most younger travellers I have met in Australia are here for great wine, unique art and the thriving music scene, three things that weren’t even featured in the video.
All I’m asking is take the confusion out of the message! Don’t try to target everyone with one video, it may have worked in the past, but it’s not going to work anymore. Leverage each market separately, appealing to the different age related motivating factors, and finally, keep your message consistent. If Tourism Australia’s own message keeps changing, they have to expect that the public is going to feel some frustration. Hopefully the next Tourism Australia campaign is able to show the world why Australians love to live here.