So what do you, oh wise readership, make of the kerfuffle about those ads?
Cheeky? Or just a bit too ocker? Is any backlash merely cultural cringe or are there still people in the world who find the words “bloody hell” offensive?
Clearly, as the ads are being slighty re-worded for certain Asian markets, even the creators think so: and does “where are you?” convery any Australianess at all? Does mild obscenity really capture the spirit of our nation?
If so, what does that say about those bloody Orstrayan Values everyone’s always banging on about?
I watched something on TV about this last night. Some business owner on the Gold Coast was interviewed in his shop surrounded by thousands of ‘Australian souvenirs’, a business obviously aimed at Japanese tourists. He was complaining loudly about the drop in business over the last few years.
I couldn’t thinking about how long can you dupe tourists into buying stuffed koalas, Australian flag tea towels and assorted ’souvenirs’ with the label Made in China.
I think the adverts are bloody noice.
“Where the bloody hell are you?”
Abducted and about to be done in by one of our many backpacker killers no doubt.
Too right!
Strewth!
Flamin’ hell, what’s bloody wrong with saying bloody, the great strine adjective?
Would ya wowsers rather we revert to blankety blank for taboo words and what exactly is taboo about bloody eh?
All that said I reckon the dig at the ads was created by the government itself to give its promotion a little boost. This is the sort of thing Liberals usually shy away from and want you to be prim and proper.
Bloody in this context is used in the spirit of kinship or mateship if you like but I’m not sure that translates to overseas markets, well except England.
My grandma will not be happy. She is always horrified by that word - she believes it to be swearing. As for “strewth” or “struth”, that is apparently blasphemy (since it is an old abbreviation of “God’s Truth”)…
Personally I just think that it will get totally lost in translation, but I haven’t done the market research.
I think we had the argument about ‘bloody’ 100 years ago, when Rex Mossop was warming up to objecting to things being shoved down his throat.
Maybe they should go the whole hog and use Aunty Jack.
At least Aussies would identify with “… and if you don’t come out here real soon, I’LL RIP YER BLOODY ARMS OFF!”
Having seen the ad I quite like it. I don’t think its offensive or overly ‘ocker’ - just good fun.
I don’t care about the language - what bothers me is that the “where the bloody hell are you?” line makes us sound sad and pathetic. As in, “…hello?” and “where is everybody?” and “why don’t I have any friends?”
Have you seen the ocker “spokesman” they have for us on the australia.com site? (If you say you’re visiting from the US.) *shudder*
I haven’t seen the ad but like a good op-ed writer it won’t stop me being offended.
From what I’ve heard it seems fuckin’ stupid idea, ill conceived and pitched somewhere at a time way prior to the shrimp on barbie.
However the imagery may be strong enough to save it. I’ll wait till I see it on TV where I presume it will screen o/s. Or is it designed for big screen theatres.
I’ve never heard anyone actually say “where the bloody hell are you?â€?
I do hear. “What the fuck are you up to” - “So when can we expect you” - “jeez yr late again ya wanker” “ok mate so whats the story” and my fav “whats the hap/goin down/word on the street dude/brother/cousin”
I expect after Costello’s little pitch for the job the other day we have added: ” Fuck off back home if yr a Muslim”
The Time’s take:
Fran Bailey Tourism Minister’s take:
My take:
Either noone has ever told Bailey that Harry Potter is a figment of someone’s imagination or we really actually governed by a group of happy simpletons.
More seriously: I don’t even know if I care.
What FXH said.
The ad shows a cute chick in a small bikini on a North Queensland beach.
Tim Blair helpfully links to streaming video of the ads and to the bikini babe. She’s from Cronulla. How more bloody Aussie could she be?
I don’t mind the TVC’s concept and execution. And I don’t have a problem with “bloody�. But yes the tagline is rather desperate and dateless. Perhaps instead “Not coming? Then stuff the lot of youse, we’ll have it all ourselves.�
And it’s not always a good idea to have an open question as a campaign tagline generally. Too often it can beg the wrong answer. Especially in this case where Aus’ biggest tourism marketing challenge is how bloody long it takes to get here, particularly now that air travel has never been so unpleasant.
“Where the bloody hell are you?�
“Um…10,000 kms away, reading an article on deep vein thrombosis and still recovering from the security check hell at O’Hare on my last business trip.�
Incidentally Aus’ fastest growing tourism market is China. Wonder how the tagline translates into idiomatic Mandarin?
Reminds me of a “You’ll love every piece of Victoriaâ€? promotion in Paris that was frantically recalled and rejigged when Tourism Victoria discovered that the tagline came out in French as “You will love Victoria. She is all in pieces.â€?
Wondering if the marketing folk at Microsoft are pissed off - surely they were going to use it as the slogan for the new OS due in October?
I viewed the ad on the website… and my first reaction was: “Bloody hell! What’s the fuss about?!”
No kidding. Then I laughed and laughed… tears in my eyes.
It’s friendly, personal, casual and natural and inviting. Ending with an innocent, relaxed and smiling young girl spontaneously popping the “obvious” question: “So where the bloody hell are you?”
What’s with the northern hemisphere prudes, they jealous of the south’s relaxed straight down to earth lifestyle or what? Go Aussies!
But we’re still going to bowl your bloody legs off in cricket!
Or vice versa. Remember Paul Keating’s quip when Peacock was Liberal leader about their adverising slogan - “The Answer is Liberal” - if the answer is Liberal, I’d hate to see the question.
Few years back Queensland was promoting itself with a song “Things are great in the Sunshine State, there’s a smile every mile of the way ….. to a kindergarten type tune. Now we have a chick who pops questions like where the bloody hell are ya? – what a moronic thing to say – plenty of other ways to put the same question – but worse is the fact that no one outside of Australia thinks that being Okker is cute or even understandable. Communication using swear words can be offensive – so I wonder how they could have got it so wrong, these highly paid ‘experts’ who are supposed to know what the international market wants and how to tempt them.
I am not offended in any way by the use of the phrase “where the bloody hell are you”. i think given the way language has evolved in our society there are much worse words to offend yourselves by, and that the distasteful nature of the word is somewhat dimisished when stood next to “Fuck”
i do however, find it entirely unessesary in the advertisement. it is not overy offensive, true. but why the bloody hell is it so imperivive to the campaign?
I am, of course, quite offended by all this swearing
…. like bloody hell I am…:-)
((but AbSolUtion is right though about marketing outside Australia))
I guess thats the stumbling point.
I dont belive that “bloody” is a swear word!
I do agree that there are many other ways to put the same question, but in the end I trust that the “experts” know what they are doing. testing on 86 focus groups in our top seven tourist markets showed they had no concerns about the advertisements. there have already been 100,000 visitors to the “uncut” site. surely then, our experts havent gotten it THAT wrong. and because im not one of them im not going to be so quick to judge
I think the ad is great! I am more concerened with people like Steve Irwin making Australians look bad with his Ocker antics then the ad. I mean we have half of America thinking we catch crocodiles and have pet Kangaroos!!!
I am currently doing research on what people think of the ad for TAFE so if anyone is able to (pretty please) fill out a survey please email me on nataliehitchenson@hotmail.com and I can email it to you.
Thank you!!!
Clearly, the prhase “So where the bloody hell are you?”, is the crux of the whole ad. To debate its necessity is to forget that fact. Not only is it that phrase (and the phrase alone) which has got us talking about the ad, it is the pointy end of the message to people considering holidaying in Australia, but who are putting it off: “Do it now!”
The whole idea of the ad is to course contriversy,
and they’ve bloody done that for sure!
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, OI OI OI
Can I put a vote in for the girl at the end?
…she is teh HOT!!!
why cont ya say bloody hell
why whats worng with dat mate
why
the old man on the golf range is bloody hot. the girl was born a boy btw.
((but AbSolUtion is right though about marketing outside Australia))
Well no he/she is not. In fact, the ad is very very well received. The picture and background is great but the use of the word “bloody” enhances interest. People are bombarded with pretty pictures and exotic locations, its the unusual english (in contrast to the very prim and correct, star news asia type english) that grabs the double take.
It conveys exactly the lay back, non stress, casual image people are looking for. On the down side, 10 mins late..even the kids ask where the bloody hell are ya…
i know this conversation was over like a year ago.. and i’m not sure how i got on this site or what it is but i was reading on these other websites and they were like Australian’s don’t even use the word bloody and i was reading this stuff about steve Erwin being an ‘Ocker’(in a bad way) it was making me so angry. If you don’t like our country get out. P.s i hate people who think vegemite is too salty its perfect.