New Oz tourism campaign: ‘Australia you’re not great’

Dr Mumbo can’t wait till Fox 8 catches up on the latest episode of Robin Williams’ adland comedy The Crazy Ones. (Which is something he never expected to say).

But it’s suddenly got a local interest, with the latest episode featuring  the fictional Chicago-based agency Lewis, Roberts + Roberts pitching to the “Australia Tourist Board”.

In scenes not entirely unsimilar to San Francisco’s Goodby Silverstein & Partners’s infamous first effort for CommBank, the agency struggles to find insights into the Australian audience.

Within the first minute of the episode, Williams’ character’s deep hatred of Australia is revealed. “I hate them as much as I hate their stupid country and that accent, it’s like sandpaper on your ears,” he tells his colleagues.

It later emerges that on his last visit he ended on a beach in his Speedos in Perth being dragged into the bush by an eastern grey kangaroo.

Meanwhile, Dr Mumbo can’t wait to hear what Tourism Australia’s marketing director Nick Baker makes of the episode.

Baker’s fictional counterpart proves to be something of a ditherer – leading to a montage of Williams attempting to play a didgeridoo, a koala dressed in a Southern Cross shirt and a hair bow made from the Aboriginal Flag, culminating in the three dressed up as drag queens from Priscilla Queen of the Desert with the tagline ‘Let Australia Transform You’. Frankly, Dr Mumbo still prefers “There’s nothing like Australia”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shem1Q9dKCk

“Dumb is good, I like dumb” quips one of the tourism execs brightly.

They eventually settle on the lyrics: “Australia you fill me with hate, Australia you’re not great. I forgot NZ is right above you, the only thing worse then one of you is two.”

Before adding: “New Zealand, you’re full of sheep, New Zealand you’re so full of sheep” as the credits begin to roll.

Given that we’re only up to episode five in Australia, we face a couple of weeks’ wait until this gem airs locally.

Update: Nick Baker does indeed have a view. He tells Dr Mumbo: “Taking out the Australian tourism ad account is no mean achievement and does require a little understanding of the country. Based on this effort, the Crazy Ones have a little more work to do I think to claim that coveted prize…”

And a TA spokesman sportingly adds: “As tourism ad pitches go, I’d say it came up a few shrimps short of the perfect barbie. We’d be very happy to provide the Crazy Ones team with a few pointers ourselves. Or, better still, get them to talk to Oprah, Ellen, Angelina or some of the half a million annual American visitors beating a path to our country to enjoy a holiday Down Under.”

And Tourism Australia also jumped into the conversation during the US broadcast:

“@robinwilliams “If I could slap a country” … careful mate #CrazyOnes pic.twitter.com/Ulv1G4Z4Ca

— Australia (@Australia) November 8, 2013

RT @joshgroban: No. I can’t get “Sydney you’re so fine” out of my head either. <twitch> #theCrazyOnes

— Australia (@Australia) November 8, 2013

Actually, all of Australia is so fine. #crazyones #SydneyYoureSoFine @RealSMG

— Australia (@Australia) November 8, 2013