We’ve seen the Tourism Australia ad making its rounds across social media networks in the last few weeks. It’s no secret that many Australians absolutely hate the ads. Most of the responses I’ve seen around the InterWebs have talked about how boring, unoriginal and cliched the ad is. It seems, locals aren’t taking too kindly to being compared to “tone-deaf bogans“.
I particularly enjoyed this gem by @DuncanRiley:
I have to admit, I do agree on some level. The ad looks like it’s been pulled off one of those awful daytime television shows called Planet’s Funniest Commercials (usually bundled together with the Planet’s Unfunniest Host) or something. Cliched Australian icons that have been reused to death (I mean, seriously, did they really have to open with surfers watching the sunset??). But okay, sure, I guess it’s sort of cute and can kind of imagine an old gal in her 60s going, “Aww, remember what an awesome time we had in Australia 25 years ago? We really should go back some time soon to visit!” Maybe that’s just me.
And then a couple of days ago, we see Iceland ads racing around Twitter and blogs.
Yes it’s a little weird, and I find myself fidgeting while I’m watching it – I’m just not sure if I should be singing along, admiring the cinematography, or mimicking some of the hilarious dance moves (check out the dudes at 01:11), but I think I actually enjoy it. My opinion is probably biased though, because the song they used is one of my absolute favourites to dance to while making pancakes on a sunny Sunday morning. Plus, I think Emiliana Torrini is amazing and beautiful and I want to be her. Digression aside (ha, was that ironic?), I think this video really encapsulates Iceland’s quirky nature. They’ve got the crazy volcanoes with crazy names (that I still need to Google for reference), huge geysers in their backyards and, of course, they have Bjork. Need I really go on?
So who wins in the Iceland vs Australia tourism ad war? I say, hands down, Iceland. Iceland had embraced the quirky (read: weird) and used it to their advantage. Sure, they have the standard landscape shots of rivers, mountains yadayadablabla, but they’ve managed to identify one thing that truly sets Iceland apart. In comparison, all the Australian ad does is remind us about what we already know about Australia. My question to them is: So What?
Ding ding ding, one-nil to Iceland. Any more competitors want to jump into the ring and get down and dirty with the weird?
Pingback: Tourism ads going viral: Australia & Iceland going head-to-head « nadia @uni
I run a regional tourism organisation in northern NSW (around Byron Bay) and watched both the Iceland ad and (rewatched) the Australia ad after a colleague shared this link.
The Iceland ad does certainly ‘do it’ for me and it makes me want to be one of those people getting into the weird beauty and sexiness of Iceland. By comparison the Australia ad looks jingoistic and the song is certainly not going to win any Grammy or Aria awards. But….
Ive worked in Europe promoting Australia when Tourism Australia was experimenting with more ‘sophisticated’ brand campaigns (think A Different Light, and the introspective Baz Lurhmann directed “Come Walkabout” ads.
(not to mention the divisive Where the Bloody Hell Are You? ads
My British and European colleagues told me that whether we like it or not they didnt really like the ‘cerebral approach to these ads as they dont perceive Australia to be presented as ‘sophisticated’, ‘cultured’, arty or cerebral. Sure, we dont have to present ourselves as tone-deaf bogans, but is there a bit of cultural cringe at play here? The second you try to present yourself as cool you instantly arent.
Australia is loved as a destination by international travellers for many reasons, but the main one is people. Like it or not, we are seen as friendly, direct, plain spoken, optimistic and uncomplicated folk. Thats what they LIKE and LOVE about the place most. Yes, thats a generalism that ignores all sorts of exceptions, but brand campaigns arent meant to be forensic dissections of the national psyche and all its permutations.
Australians are not the target audience for these ads.