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A racy new tourism campaign for South Australia — which invites Aussies to “go down south with your mouth” against a crimson-tinted image of a vineyard — is being met with disbelief and suspicion that it may be an April Fool’s prank.
The campaign image, which is going wild on social media, was released overnight alongside a YouTube channel and social media page.
It features a video with a narrator speaking seductively over aerial flyovers of vineyards and coastlines, and images of wines and cocktails being poured into glasses.
The campaign is said to be rolling out over six months across traditional media, out of home advertising, digital and social media channels and is supported by ongoing content and PR activity.
“While we can’t travel abroad, South Australia is a mesh of exciting, multicultural cuisine with industry personnel from all over the world calling it home,” the press release states.
“Our diverse pocket of Australia is home to world-class chefs, industry-leading winemakers, and producers of the most sought after organic delights.”
However, speculation is running wild about the campaign on social media about it being a potential April Fool’s prank, even though it was released yesterday, as local tourism authorities say they have had nothing to do with it.
Here are some of the best reactions on social media.
In the campaign’s press release, a “Taste Down South” representative, Clarke Reid, is quoted, but news.com.au could not find any evidence of her existing online, and the phone number listed goes to voicemail after ringing a couple of times.
The campaign’s website lists an office address in Adelaide — however, the address appears to be a “virtual office”.
Its website domain information shows it is registered to ICBM Pty Ltd, located on the Gold Coast.
The directors of ICBM are the same two entrepreneurs who created an infamous Northern Territory campaign.
In a podcast last year, Adam Blackburn and Blaze Tripp revealed they had created the brand “CU in the NT”.
He said the brand’s intention was not to offend.
“We’re just a couple of blokes that are knocking up some ideas,” Mr Blackburn said at the time.
“It’s an invitation to the greatest territory in the world mate, that’s what it is.”
Darwin Council banned posters of the campaign, citing multiple complaints, including to police.
Northern Territory tourism authorities also welcomed an advertising standards ruling that the slogan was “obscene and offensive”.
It said the campaign was clearly “designed to highlight letters to form a strong reference to the word ‘c***’.”
“The board noted community standards research into language had shown that the community considered the ‘C-word’ to be obscene and not appropriate in advertising in any form.”
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