There’s Nothing Like Australia
Happy Australia day Australians! You are about to be given the gift of thousands of new international friends thanks to the latest $45 million campaign from Tourism Australia. ‘There’s Nothing Like Australia’ is as far removed from the infamous ‘Where the Bloody Hell are you?’ campaign with amazing cinematography, sophistication overload and a hugely famous movie star.
While watching the 3 minute montage of some of Australia’s most spectacular scenery, listening to music fit for an epic motion picture and the promise of Chris Hemsworth, this campaign is a feast for the senses. The campaign was also very specific to whom it was tailored to.
The target market for this Australian extravaganza of sight-seeing was very obvious and almost rammed down our throats on who Tourism Australia is trying to entice Down Under.
Watch the campaign in full and you will soon see a common theme emerge in the ‘visitors’ to Australia:
- Extremely fit, healthy and good-looking
- Between 25-40 years of age
- Single – but preferably a couple
- High income to afford such things as private helicopter tours of the Whitsundays, sight-seeing from the deck of an expensive yacht or exclusive dining in a canyon with your own chef catering to you and your friends.
- No children
- Interested in predominantly the natural beauty of the country – no historical/iconic architecture; no shopping; no trips to wildlife parks, no sporting events and definitely NO theme parks.
Aside from families not being invited to Australia, it appears that the Tourism Australia Ambassador himself also missed out on the invite to be an actual part of the ‘There’s Nothing Like Australia’ movement.
The PR leading up to the launch of this campaign was predominately focusing on the newly appointed Tourism Australia ambassador and mega-famous-ozzie-actor, Chris Hemsworth. Unfortunately, Chris is to be heard but not seen. Without even so much as appearance at the end to announce the tagline, his onscreen absence unfortunately also relays somewhat of a disassociation to the campaign. You get the feeling he was simply given a script and supplied the voice-over, probably from a studio in Hollywood.
Tourism Australia had prepared a statement for this issue of major confusion with Managing Director, John O’Sullivan providing the explanation “There’s Nothing Like Australia has always been very much about Australia being the hero and telling the country’s story. We felt Chris and his voice-over would provide the perfect complement – an authentic and influential voice to help tell the story.”
While the quality and poetic feeling is definitely present in the campaign as we’re immersed in amazing scenery and emotional music, it would be interesting to know the exact brief and reasoning behind the direction of the ‘There’s Nothing Like Australia.’
So on this Australia Day we shall just have to wait and see if the campaign promises ring true and our Kakadu canyons and spectacular rock formations are flooded with amazingly good-looking international tourists.
