The New Tourism Australia Ad Starring Kylie Minogue Has The Internet Divided
"Tourism Australia should be done for misleading advertising. This is not what's happening in Australia right now."
It’s pretty hard to sell the nation of Australia at the moment.
Bushfires are ravaging the country, decimating the outback and making the air unbreathable in cities. In response, our evangelical Prime Minister is refusing to act on our climate crisis, pedalling anti-LGBTIQ laws, and blaming his kids for his ill-timed trip to Hawaii.
Police are openly flaunting ‘EAD Hippy’ stickers during clashes with climate protestors. And there’s a general air of unpleasant chaos, like the whole place is one more incident away from sinking into the sea altogether.
So of course, the folks over at Tourism Australia had a job ahead of them when it came to making an advert designed to show off the country’s best assets without seeming totally disconnected from what Australia actually is.
Their solution? Chucking Kylie Minogue (and Adam Hills) into the mix.
Yep, the new three-minute Tourism Australia ad has Minogue as an all-singing, all dancing tourist guide. Dressed in an Akubra and a red pair of togs, Minogue shows off Australia’s beautiful landscapes to the viewer, all while promising those Brexit-stressed English folks looking for an escape that things are way calmer down our way.
“We can turn off the news,” the singer smiles, “and you can kick off your shoes.”
Dear United Kingdom,
Your besties across the ocean are calling. 📞
Love,
Your mates in Australia #matesong pic.twitter.com/eAROy5p1Vn— Australia (@Australia) December 25, 2019
Chalk it up to bad timing, but from the moment that the ad dropped online, audience reactions have been… Well, pretty hostile, to say the least.
Get fucked
— blak milf writer (@NayukaGorrie) December 26, 2019
A serious point of contention for a lot of viewers is how the ad has been designed to make Australia seem like an escape — a place to turn off from the world.
I hated this. “Hi Poms, come to Australia, where white people relax, turn their brains off and ignore that world is fukt”
Maybe in that way it’s actually the truest ad for Australia https://t.co/0nU72U3Ymk
— Mel Campbell (@incrediblemelk) December 26, 2019
Even more irritating to Aussies is the way the ad completely ignores the climate crisis, sweeping the bushfires, decimated koalas, and general air of apocalyptic terror under the rug.
This is Australia at the moment. Our government doesn’t believe in climate change so this is what our future looks like. By the way bring a breathing mask because we have excessive smoke everywhere. Hotels are air conditioned so you can stay indoors. pic.twitter.com/YpyfLT8Yyb
— 💧margo69👀🌱🌱🌱🦅🦅 (@margo694) December 25, 2019
Tourism Australia (official site) should be done for misleading advertising. This is not what’s happening in Australia right now. It’s not what Australians are caring about right now. It’s #LNP #deflecting #SpinOnAStick
— Tom 🔥💧😱 Osborn PhD, FRSA, #QED (@call_me_tomasso) December 25, 2019
C’mon over mates, we are having a barbie. 😉
The whole country is cooking infact#ThrowAnotherKoalaOnTheFireStorm #AustraliaBurns pic.twitter.com/lqpAsFs8fN
— Max Black 🌑 (@maxblackhole) December 26, 2019
Yep, safe to say most Australians aren’t exactly feeling this one. Sorry Kylie.