Saturday, March 11, 2006
WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?
Company: Tourism Australia
Ad: "Where the Bloody Hell Are You?"
Market: Global
Product: Tourism
Agency: M&C Saatchi
Year: 2006
Link: http://video.vividas.com/media/4291_TourismAus/media/TA1100-60A_16x9.wmv
Verdict: 5 out of 10
=======================================
What I poignant title after my inability to contribute to this blog for the past few months!
I have to admit it that I find it more and more difficult to find ads on the web that meet the criteria for this blog. If it is not worth to "ADJUDGE" it, I won't. So, please feel free to direct me to websites with ads that you may think fit the specifications of this blog - ads for services only please!
At the one year anniversary of ADJUDGE, I return to a tourism ad, this time from "Down Under". And how timely... This ad just created by Tourism Australia to portray the appeal of the country around the world. Australia, is the origin of one of the more memorable tourism ads of the past twenty five years: in the heydays of Crocodile Dundee, Paul Hogan invited world travellers Down Under with the famous line "throw another shrimp on the barbie"... This time around, Tourism Australia attempts to recreate the magic of that line with a more contemporary, and more "cheeky" selling line: "Where the bloody hell are you?"
And controversy abounds! Within Australia, critics for and against debate in the media the correctness of the line. Even the politicians, including the Prime Minister, have to get involved. And to fuel the debate, Britain's Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre has just banned the campaign from British television, for using "inappropriate language". Tourism Australia, allegedly, places print ads directing interested viewers to the website listed above.
In all this fuss, let us step back and review the ad on its overall merits. In my opinion, bland, stereotypical with visuals we've learnt to expect from Australia. Nothing new and different here. Nothing an unusual selling line can save.
The images are beautiful, but predictable: a bit of beach & ocean, a bit of outback, a bit of Sydney Harbour. I would even go as far as saying that the casting is rather disappointing for today's multicultural Australia: a collection of blonde and white Aussies in different settings, with a bit of aboriginal flavour, may be what the international viewer recognises as Australian, but it is sells today's diverse Australia so short. I believe, this is the biggest flaw of this campaign: it fails to bring to the international viewer a real picture of today's dynamic and mixed Australia, a growing society near the emerging South East Asia world; not a postcard of what they already know to expect.
Of course, the language and the tone of the ad, is typical hospitable Australian. There is no doubt it relaxes the viewer in its laid back Australiana. This is a waiting country for you. All is ready - where are you?? But is this really enough to bring someone ten or more hours on a flight Down Under?
And lastly, the selling line. Yes it will be memorable. And yes, it will create the rumble that it probably intended to. But agency creatives, do not rush to celebrate. At the end of the day, word of mouth is a means to an end, and in my opinion this selling line lacks call to action. In some strange way, as a viewer, I may even be offended from the insinuation that I should have already been there, I must have broken my promise or my obligation. Otherwise, why would the lovely girl on the beach be asking me where the bloody hell am I?
Not to mention, that it may be interpreted as a rather desperate effort to lure tourists. It sounds as if the country has lacked them for a while. And will viewers rush to book their tickets, just because of this rather unusual invitation? I doubt it.
Evaluation:
In following our standard evaluation methodology: (search for it in this blog, in case you are not aware)
The ad is understandable and is well-branded, ownable and distinctive. It is certainly Australia they talk about. But it is moderately relevant and credible by sticking to stereotypical images, so it is not any more pesuasive than what I already knew - nothing new here. At the end it is rather low on engagingness and I find it falls short on making people rush to book flights.
Detailed Score: 5 out of 10
1. Understandable: M
2. Relevant: M
3. Credible: M
4. Persuasive: L
5. Well-branded: H
6. Ownable: H
7. Distinctive: H
8. Memorable: M
9. Engaging: L
10. Makes Me Buy: L
For the record: I intend to travel to Australia this year. But this ad had absolutely nothing to do with it! Tourism Australia - rest assured that the appeal of your country does not allow me to reconsider even after this bland ad.
G. Evans
Mar 2006
Ad: "Where the Bloody Hell Are You?"
Market: Global
Product: Tourism
Agency: M&C Saatchi
Year: 2006
Link: http://video.vividas.com/media/4291_TourismAus/media/TA1100-60A_16x9.wmv
Verdict: 5 out of 10
=======================================
What I poignant title after my inability to contribute to this blog for the past few months!
I have to admit it that I find it more and more difficult to find ads on the web that meet the criteria for this blog. If it is not worth to "ADJUDGE" it, I won't. So, please feel free to direct me to websites with ads that you may think fit the specifications of this blog - ads for services only please!
At the one year anniversary of ADJUDGE, I return to a tourism ad, this time from "Down Under". And how timely... This ad just created by Tourism Australia to portray the appeal of the country around the world. Australia, is the origin of one of the more memorable tourism ads of the past twenty five years: in the heydays of Crocodile Dundee, Paul Hogan invited world travellers Down Under with the famous line "throw another shrimp on the barbie"... This time around, Tourism Australia attempts to recreate the magic of that line with a more contemporary, and more "cheeky" selling line: "Where the bloody hell are you?"
And controversy abounds! Within Australia, critics for and against debate in the media the correctness of the line. Even the politicians, including the Prime Minister, have to get involved. And to fuel the debate, Britain's Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre has just banned the campaign from British television, for using "inappropriate language". Tourism Australia, allegedly, places print ads directing interested viewers to the website listed above.
In all this fuss, let us step back and review the ad on its overall merits. In my opinion, bland, stereotypical with visuals we've learnt to expect from Australia. Nothing new and different here. Nothing an unusual selling line can save.
The images are beautiful, but predictable: a bit of beach & ocean, a bit of outback, a bit of Sydney Harbour. I would even go as far as saying that the casting is rather disappointing for today's multicultural Australia: a collection of blonde and white Aussies in different settings, with a bit of aboriginal flavour, may be what the international viewer recognises as Australian, but it is sells today's diverse Australia so short. I believe, this is the biggest flaw of this campaign: it fails to bring to the international viewer a real picture of today's dynamic and mixed Australia, a growing society near the emerging South East Asia world; not a postcard of what they already know to expect.
Of course, the language and the tone of the ad, is typical hospitable Australian. There is no doubt it relaxes the viewer in its laid back Australiana. This is a waiting country for you. All is ready - where are you?? But is this really enough to bring someone ten or more hours on a flight Down Under?
And lastly, the selling line. Yes it will be memorable. And yes, it will create the rumble that it probably intended to. But agency creatives, do not rush to celebrate. At the end of the day, word of mouth is a means to an end, and in my opinion this selling line lacks call to action. In some strange way, as a viewer, I may even be offended from the insinuation that I should have already been there, I must have broken my promise or my obligation. Otherwise, why would the lovely girl on the beach be asking me where the bloody hell am I?
Not to mention, that it may be interpreted as a rather desperate effort to lure tourists. It sounds as if the country has lacked them for a while. And will viewers rush to book their tickets, just because of this rather unusual invitation? I doubt it.
Evaluation:
In following our standard evaluation methodology: (search for it in this blog, in case you are not aware)
The ad is understandable and is well-branded, ownable and distinctive. It is certainly Australia they talk about. But it is moderately relevant and credible by sticking to stereotypical images, so it is not any more pesuasive than what I already knew - nothing new here. At the end it is rather low on engagingness and I find it falls short on making people rush to book flights.
Detailed Score: 5 out of 10
1. Understandable: M
2. Relevant: M
3. Credible: M
4. Persuasive: L
5. Well-branded: H
6. Ownable: H
7. Distinctive: H
8. Memorable: M
9. Engaging: L
10. Makes Me Buy: L
For the record: I intend to travel to Australia this year. But this ad had absolutely nothing to do with it! Tourism Australia - rest assured that the appeal of your country does not allow me to reconsider even after this bland ad.
G. Evans
Mar 2006
