Advance Australia Where?
How would you set about rebranding Australia? It's a question being asked of the country's most innovative marketing brains, following the decision by the Rudd government in February to dump the "Where the Bloody Hell Are You?" tourism campaign.
Some considered it too coarse and foul-mouthed. The Brits and Canadians banned it, of course, prompting criticisms that the catchphrase had generated more heat than heat-seekers.
Meanwhile, potential visitors in the vital Japanese and Chinese markets apparently found it unfathomable. The larrikin-style slogan was lost in translation.
For all the criticisms of the "Where the Bloody Hell Are You?" campaign, the latest figures show that Australia has posted the strongest tourist spending in almost a decade. Holidaymakers injected $A85 billion into this $A1 trillion economy. And this at a time when the strength of the Australian dollar has made it more expensive to come here, and the environmental lobby is encouraging people to holiday closer to home.
Nonetheless, Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson wants a new, three-year campaign touting Australia as a "mature, inviting country". The recent 2020 summit in Canberra proposed something similar: a "greater international understanding of Australia as a mature, creative, innovative society".
More "cool Australia" than "Koala Australia" seems to be the aim.
After deciding that the global image of Australia's most populous city needed a facelift (see previous blog), the Sydney Magazine approached a few advertising companies for inspiration. One of them came up with the slogan "Sydney. Proudly UnAustralian". You can see it here.
It features that great staple of Australian tourist brochures, the Sydney Opera House, but with a twist - it's white-tiled roof is emblazoned with the words "NO WAR" in bright red paint. Another image features two butch rugby players locked in a passionate embrace. "We're a City which gets lumped with the clichéd view of Down Under," says the website. "But we're not like that."
And how about the "All that and more" campaign from JWT? Here's a taster.
"Sydney, it's a bit like London. Classic Museums, Rich History, Hyde Park, Paddington, the Queen on Our Coin. It's just lacking the miserable weather, miserable people, pasty faces, snobby bitches, soggy chips, warm beer, cold winters, teens pushing prams, lager louts, slappers, geezers, madcow diseases."
Nifty stuff: fight stereotype with stereotype.
When the internet-based political action group GetUp launched a nationwide competition to sum up "Oz in thirty seconds", this was the winner.
"We're young and free. This is what we Australi-are. We're clean and green. Down to earth and healthy. You might say we're ground-breaking and outspoken. We're diverse. We're sorry.
And this is what we Australi-aren't.'
Victims. An old boys club. We're not scared. And we're definitely not American, colour blind or gullible."
There seems to be growing agreement that its time to ditch the clichés.
Here, it perhaps helps that Kevin Rudd is, in the traditional and stereotypical sense at least, fairly "unAustralian". He says he has only been drunk on a few occasions in his life, is clearly more fluent in Mandarin Chinese than "larrikin Australian" and doesn't appear on daily power walks dressed in green and gold tracksuits. His idea of fun seems to be a two-day brainstorming session rather than a one-day cricket match.
It's all a far cry from when Paul Hogan was Australia's most prominent government-sponsored front man.
Kevin Rudd clearly believes that "Brand Australia" needs to be revitalised. It appears to be one of the overriding aims of his prime ministership, with echoes of the "Cool Brittania" stuff in the early days of the Blair years.
What the bloody hell do you think?
I'm 
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We have to admit to ourselves that a lot of tourists come here to see our wildlife and our great beaches, so we can't ignore that. But what about promoting our great wine and food more?
As a Melburnian, I'm not that interested in how Sydney promotes itself!!! Its pretty - perhaps that could be the slogan for Sydney! (a joke!!!)
But we have more to offer - great art galleries, bars, sport - so much more. Perhaps we need to run a series of ads that shows different sides to our country - what about promoting all the great ethnic restaurants we have? Promote our diversity.
Thanks Nick for another thought provoking post.
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What about "Sydney: we're full of it" ?
Nothing looks more immature than crowing about how mature you are
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Why not look at NZ's excellent campaigns. They're not cringeworthy or horribly parochial, nor do they play on stereotypes.
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The WTBHRU campaign was aired here in the United States. From an American perspective, the use of that phrase at the end seemed sort of impatient, even angry. It was obvious that it was used in a sense of camaraderie and invitation to join the Australians, but on an instinctive level it was somewhat of a put-off.
Australia is renown for its wines, and Sydney is one of the gastronomic capitals of the world. There is a lot of cultural diversity. And, as already mentioned, Australia has beautiful environmental scenery (Great Barrier Reef, Ayer's Rock) and wildlife. As for the 'mature' part, the United States is often treated as a 'newbie,' particularly by some Europeans, and the country is 232 years old (as is one of the oldest states on the planet). The United States was 'born' the same year Australia was discovered by Captain Cook. Aussies can take pride in being 'young.' Americans definitely do.
As for the first comment by mordigirl, personally have some sympathy. There is a similar dichotomy between San Francisco and Los Angeles. In the post-World-War 2 years, L.A. has surpassed San Francisco in both population and economic and pop cultural clout. San Franciscans still pride themselves on being more culturally advanced and sophisticated than the upstart Angelinos--though that argument is largely lost to the world, for whom L.A. is far more impressive than S.F.
You could also draw a similar comparison between Europe and the United States..... :) .
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The 30-second clip looks more like an Australian trying to convince himself/herself what their country should be, rather than to show what this country really is. However since this is a tourism ad if it paints an idealistic enough picture to attract more overeseas visitors to see Australia for themselves, it would have done its job.
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Let me first tell you some of what we liked in our visit for a month in 2006:
1. Sydney's vitality, small restaurants, zoo, shopping, obscure hotel pubs, water everywhere.
2. Perth's beaches, King's Park, Rottnest Island, Freo, auto trips into the wheat belt and the small towns there, trips up the coast and the fishing village people, and the WA wines.
3. Port Douglas's crazy nightlife, the reef, the rainforest, the canefields train, getting help when needed from the local medical staff (many thanks).
But everywhere it was the people whom we met who made our trip delightful. I'd emphasize people above things in the new campaign. Who they are, what they do.
We love OZ the way OZ is, no matter how you advertise it. We hope to return soon.
All the best, OwenInTheUS
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Tourists come for our lifestyle, so we should show the different extremes, from sipping coffee in South Yarrah to swiming on one of the two main barrier reefs. Wildlife of course should be included as well as some icons.
the current Victoiran Tourism ad is very good but when you are advertising a city with no real landmarks you have to think outside the box...
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I live in Sydney its a great City really. I think the world has a weird view of Australia and really doesnt care about us really. THe common and relaxed attitude of Australia I think is a bad thing. I would like Australia to be more in line with countries in europe such as France. I think we should be trying to get greater ties and links to France.
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Our next tourism campaign should focus less on Sydney, and more on the rest of the country. Seriously, the image of Australia overseas (as proven by the two people from the US) has the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge in it. What about Melbourne? Hobart? Brisbane?
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As an American, the first places that come to mind when I think of Australia are Sydney and Canberra - mostly because my dad lived in Sydney for two years and I somewhat follow Aussie (and UK, German, French, Russian and Zimbabwean) politics. If I were the one setting up a campaign for Australia, I would definitely try to emphasize somewhere other than Sydney (such as Canberra or Melbourne) -- but I wouldn't go so far as to try to separate Australia from the common image. Tourists come to somewhere different - you're not going to get Europeans coming to somewhere branded as "Europe, just farther south," and we Americans love koalas and kangaroos. Like it or not, the things that make Australia unique are the things that are going to draw people to your Commonwealth. Also, Finding Nemo pretty much established the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House as the definitive symbols of Australia in the minds of us Americans, so perhaps that is something those who come up with these campaigns should take into consideration.
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Anonymous Californian....Captain Cook didnt 'discover' Australia any more than Vespucci or Colimbus did America. It was already there, with a fully functioning society, an indigenous one. Yours is a white/Eurocentric view, incorrect and anachronistic
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Incredible the narrow-minded, ill-informed and prejudiced stereotypes Aussies would use to market their country. Enough to almost make you wish you were an arrogant ex-convict!
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The entire article made me cringe.
The children of the Anzac Legacy have recently been visiting my adopted home, Turkey.
From what I witnessed yet again over the last two weeks, it would be wiser to spend the tourism budget by forcibly educating Australians before they leave the country.
The average Australia (and New Zealander), whether from distance of from lack of any real education, are so ill-informed about any important matters of their home country that they more often than not come across as totally ignorant to those living elsewhere.
Australia is fool's paradise, and not much else. Meeting Australians overseas just ensures I'll stay away from the country as long as I can, rejuvenated tourism image or not.
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Australia is unique. And, yet, we keep on comparing/contrasting ourselves to other cultures as if unable (perhaps unwilling) to perceive ourselves as distinct (perhaps for fear of being all alone).
So what shall we promote about ourselves? The infinite sky above our heads, the endless horizons, our rich and ancient Aboriginal culture, our free, proud and good-natured mongrel people, our curious flora and fauna, our ancient soils and terrains, the fact that the world came to visit and it stayed etc... Geez, with so many wares to sell to the rest of the world, you gotta ask yourself: 'What's all the bloody fussin' about?'
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The campaign worked, more visitors annually than in the past decade. Yep? Isn't that what matters? Throw a shrimp on the barbie? That worked. Drink, drive, bloody idiot. As advertising that worked. Tourism campaigns are not about making us look good in the eyes of the world, they are about getting visitors. You could say the latest beer ads don't encourage people to drink wine. Trying to make ourselves more French? That market is already taken by France. Laid back, friendly, casual, gorgeous beaches and outback, these are things we can win the market on. Play to our strengths.
Australia is more than shown in the ads but in a busy marketplace you need to make an impression and keep it simple. The ads are in the UK in print version and look great. Is it time for new one? Maybe, it has been around for more than a year. But trying to show depth and intricacies in advertising is poitnless. Brand recognition, making the message stick. That's what gets visitors and that has been proven time and time again.
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Though the blogger "fulhamdjpk" makes a valid point, I disagree with the ends justify the means rationale of that blog.
Australians have to ask themselves, "how do we want the world to see us?". As an expat Aussie who has lived many years in Europe, and now residing in the USA, I can unequivocally say that the general stereotype of Aussies is that they are fun-loving, gregarious, egalitarian, friendly but intellectual lightweights.
The enduring image that foreigners have of Australia is of vast, sunny land, beautiful beaches, Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef. The world is already aware of these aspects of Australia, si there is no need to promote them.
Why not promote the many other wonderful aspects of Australia? Things such fabulous food, great cafe/restaurant scene, world-class wines, creative arts, Aboriginal arts and culture - all of which Australia excels in, but the world is alas ignorant of.
It's high time that Australia projects a more serious image to the world, rather than the image of intellectual lightweights crazy about sun, sand and sports!!
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When politicians get involved in tourism, the outcome is rarely what was intended. Holiday visitors aren't interested in whether a country sees itself as intellectually mature or ethnically diverse or health and safety conscious. We judge it on what makes it unique or different, whether in its natural or man-made attractions, its hospitality/friendliness and its value for money. In Europe, Ireland has been consistently successful in attracting visitors over the years - despite the small handicap of being a damp featureless bog - by focussing relentlessly on its laid back friendliness and some unspoiled landscapes.
Simple images work best to create and maintain awareness, and have to be projected ad nauseam. As JWT seem to have failed to realise, the target is not the Aussie public but people who for the most part have never been down under.
Because of its remoteness, the biggest proportion of foreign visitors to Aus are likely to be making a once in a lifetime trip: it would be as foolish to try to steer them away from Sydney as to persuade a visitor to France not to bother with Paris. So the prime focus in most markets should still be on the iconic attractions; secondary messages can be targeted at repeat visitors who want to explore the country in greater depth.
In the UK, Labour administrations have tried over the years to tie tourism funding to wider economic or political goals, and never learnt the lesson. In the 1970s, the Dept of Trade directed the British Tourist Authority to align its promotional activity with economic regeneration goals, so advertising short breaks to Bradford or Skegness was OK but Bath, Oxford or Brighton was not. Under the Callaghan government, the BTA was forbidden to promote London at all in overseas markets, thinking that the gullible foreigner might be just as happy to discover the hidden delights of Leicester or Nottingham - instead they went to Paris or Rome or Amsterdam.
More recently Blair instructed Visitbritain to highlight the "Cool Britannia" theme, as part of his message that Britain was a dynamic young society, ignoring the fact that in the UK's biggest and most lucrative market most Americans want to experience the UK's heritage not its seedy nightlife.
Australia has a remarkable diversity of attractions, but distance is the biggest factor affecting visitor numbers. The biggest threat to growth is probably from eco-extremists driving the cost of air travel beyond the reach of the average pocket.
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Surprised that we banned the where the bloody hell are you campaign seeing as we were the ones who invented that word in the first place.
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Gee doesn?t it get old always promoting Melbourne! you look like a jealous less attractive Sister. I like Melbourne but hate the constant attitude I get because I am from Sydney. The only people constantly making it a competition is the people from Melbourne! Just enjoy your city and stop being so miserable.
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I had no idea what daily life in Sydney was like when I first arrived for a visit. The neighborhoods, restaurants, architecture etc doesn't get promoted to us here in the US at all. They also don't emphasize the Asian aspect of the city, which is enormous! Nor did I have any idea how high-tech the place was; more than most American cities it seemed to me. All I knew was the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. If they want to beef up tourism, they might add those things to their commercials.
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That "What We Australi-Are" video is just the latest manifestation of Australia's inherent need to repeatedly assert itself as independent, unique, and worthy. "We are young and free, we are not American, etc". You can just imagine a mental patient rocking back and forth in a rubber room muttering these affirmations like a mantra.
Australia seems second only to North Korea for the amount of self-congratulatory, jingoistic propaganda served up to its populace via the media. The difference is that in North Korea the populace don't believe the propaganda. Australians have completely bought into their own 'frontiersman' stereotype.
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I don't think titling an ad campaign about an Australian city as 'un-Australian' is really the best tactic. Sure, the campaign does aim to challenge many of the stereotypes that are associated with the Australian identity but surely we cannot view our culture as static and unchanging. All of the views expressed are not in fact un-australian if they are Australian perspectives. I guess you could call it un- typical- Australian but i suppose that's not as catchy.
I just think it doesn't send out the right idea. Of course we aren't all unsophisticated slobs, but do we need to call ourselves un-Australian to shake such an image? And do we really think that the representations of Australians as such seriously set out to reflect all Australians anyway?
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