Tourism Australia pulls Kylie Minogue’s Matesong campaign amid bushfire crisis
Tourism Australia will temporarily stop promoting the country in Britain as the nation continues to be ravaged by bushfires.
The $15m Matesong campaign, fronted by Kylie Minogue, was months in the making and launched in the UK before the Queen’s Christmas address on 25 December.
It created somewhat of a messaging conflict, however, with the campaign showcasing Sydney’s clear skies, picturesque bush locations and cuddly koalas, while hundreds of bushfires destroyed wildlife, homes, communities and livelihoods, with the death and destruction making headlines around the world.
Tourism Australia said the number one priority at the moment is the emergency response to the fires, and the safety of communities and tourists.
Kylie with koalas
“In light of the current situation in Australia, we have reduced some of our campaign activity in the UK. We will continue to review our planned activity over the coming weeks and months,” a spokesperson told Mumbrella in a statement.
“As the Australian Government agency responsible for attracting tourists to our country, Tourism Australia will have an important role to play in highlighting that Australia will continue to be a world-leading and safe tourism destination, whether in unaffected regions or those that will recover from these bushfires in the months and years to come.”
The bushfires have been front page news overseas (Image by Matthew Abbott)
In an earlier statement about the bushfire crisis, Tourism Australia noted there are many areas unaffected by the fires, and stressed the importance of supporting tourism-reliant businesses across the country.
“Whilst bushfires continue to impact parts of Australia, many areas are unaffected and most tourism businesses are still open.
“It is more important than ever that we rally around our communities and the tourism sector who may have been impacted,” the statement said.
The government agency encouraged tourists who are visiting Australia to seek out the most up-to-date safety information so they could best enjoy their stay.
If you’d like to assist with bushfire recovery, relief and rescue efforts, please explore the options below:
- New South Wales Rural Fire Service
- Victorian Country Fire Authority
- South Australian Country Fire Service
- Queensland Rural Fire Service
- Salvation Army Disaster Appeal
- St Vincent de Paul Society Bushfire Appeal
- Australian Red Cross Disaster Recovery and Relief
- WIRES (Wildlife Rescue) Emergency Fund
- Koalas in Care
- Western Australia Volunteer Fire and Rescue
Well, we know the current positioning Scotty has created for us overseas.
P.S. Fantastic. Great move. Well done Angus.
Tourism Australia, on top of their game since 2006. What a serious waste of TP money. An awful client to work for as well – I was at Carat in 2006. Haha. bunch of clowns (TA) led by a clown.
Gonna need a VERY funny ad to get anyone here next year.
Who is going to plan an Aussie rural getaway next summer?
A disaster for TA and brand Australia. I feel for M&C and the marketing team.
The devil fools with the best laid plans.
This grossly insensitive ad ran longer than the time we had to evacuate our home when an ember storm struck that burnt our house to the ground.