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‘Don’t feel sorry for old mate’: Ad for Adelaide shows no sympathy for sad elderly man

An ad promoting the various experiences one can have while visiting South Australia’s Adelaide has savaged those who may regret not visiting the capital city sooner.

The ad features an elderly man getting teary as he looks around at younger people enjoying the city’s riches. The emotional music then cuts out as a voiceover says: “Don’t feel sorry for old mate. It’s his own damn fault he didn’t visit Adelaide sooner”.

The campaign also features a blog, allegedly written by the sad old man, which details to would-be-visitors what they can do on their trips.

“When Old Mate (finally) came to Adelaide, he soon realised just how vibrant and exciting it is. With a heart full of regret, he wrote a blog about the ‘Seven things to do in Adelaide in your 70s‘. But really, his recommendations of what to do, see and explore are for everyone,” the South Australian Tourism Commission said.

The ad has received negative media and social media attention thus far, with SA opposition tourism spokesperson Zoe Bettison even getting involved and labelling the ad “bizarre”.

“This advertisement seems rather bizarre and, what’s worse, it follows the Marshall Liberal government’s decision to outsource this work to a Victorian agency,” she said, according to The New Daily.

TBWA is the South Australian Tourism Commission’s creative agency of record after it pinched the account from incumbent KWP.

TBWA has since opened a South Australian office to service the account.

Its previous campaign for the state was more subdued, and featured Adelaide AFL star Eddie Betts, Olympic swimmer Kyle Chalmers and musicians Germein exploring the attractions South Australia has to offer, including the Adelaide Oval Roof Climb, exploring the Coffin Bay oyster farms and sitting on the banks of the Murray River.

The new ad is backed by the song Sugar by The Coconut Kids.

TBWA has been approached for comment.

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