# Inapprpriate or confronting tourism campaigns **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 16, 2013, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395 "2013-08-16T07:55:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/1 "2013-08-16T07:55:31Z")
The South Australian Tourism Board recently launched a new promotion. The advert itself is visually beautiful, and is backed with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds ‘Red Right Hand’. [Youtube clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtFqMMjMSMc) While not involving actual dead people or killing as many Nick Cave songs are, the menacing lyrics dont seem to sell ‘bring the kids’. There must be other odd, or just creepy and ill-advised tourism / promotional campaigns out there. And as an encore - here’s another Australian one that failed. Spot the flaw. [Where the bloody hell are ya?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXyTwGGivVg) - safe for work ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/2 "2013-08-16T13:28:52Z")
[An all-time classic.](http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2678/1252/1600/brazil.0.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/3 "2013-08-16T13:37:22Z")
While not intended as a tourism slogan, the phrase “[Don’t mess with Texas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_with_Texas)” does show up on souvenirs. A lot of non-Texans are probably unaware of the origin of this phrase. It wasn’t intended to be a boast about how tough Texans are; it’s an anti-littering slogan used by the state Department of Transportation. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/4 "2013-08-16T13:39:26Z")
Well, there’s the ads for some cruise ship line that use Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” as the music. OK, then, now I know which cruise line to take if I want to detox from heroin… ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/5 "2013-08-16T13:48:28Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > The South Australian Tourism Board recently launched a new promotion. The advert itself is visually beautiful, and is backed with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds ‘Red Right Hand’. > > [Youtube clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtFqMMjMSMc) > > While not involving actual dead people or killing as many Nick Cave songs are, the menacing lyrics dont seem to sell ‘bring the kids’. Just watched this one, and the combination of the song and the images of food interspersed with bugs and mud made it seem like an artsy short film about how we’re all going to die. Even with a different soundtrack, repeatedly having a close-up of food and then a close-up of a bug is pretty unappetizing. I gather that the idea behind this campaign is to indicate that the food you can get in Barossa is locally produced and prepared the old-fashioned way, but do they really need to keep showing us the bugs? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/6 "2013-08-16T13:54:02Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > While not intended as a tourism slogan, the phrase “[Don’t mess with Texas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_with_Texas)” does show up on souvenirs. > > A lot of non-Texans are probably unaware of the origin of this phrase. It wasn’t intended to be a boast about how tough Texans are; it’s an anti-littering slogan used by the state Department of Transportation. The successor to this is not much better: Drive Clean Across Texas. Which has a double meaning as a exhortation to not litter and as a depressing reminder of how far you have to go to get out of the state. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/7 "2013-08-16T13:59:21Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > While not intended as a tourism slogan, the phrase “[Don’t mess with Texas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_with_Texas)” does show up on souvenirs. > > A lot of non-Texans are probably unaware of the origin of this phrase. It wasn’t intended to be a boast about how tough Texans are; it’s an anti-littering slogan used by the state Department of Transportation. Texas also claimed to be (like) a whole other country for a period of time. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/8 "2013-08-16T14:32:37Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Texas also claimed to be (like) a whole other country for a period of time. I recall those ads, I remember thinking “and not in a good way.” ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/9 "2013-08-16T14:55:24Z")
Not actually a tourism campaign but Governor McCall of Oregon did once say on CBS News: > [@](#): > > Come visit us again and again. This is a state of excitement. But for heaven’s sake, don’t come here to live. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/10 "2013-08-16T16:24:56Z")
Twisted Sister’s _We’re Not Gonna Take It_ is currently being used in the current Extended Stay America’s radio campaign. Are the marketing folks working that account former 80’s faux metal-heads? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/11 "2013-08-16T18:45:11Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > And as an encore - here’s another Australian one that failed. Spot the flaw. > > [Where the bloody hell are ya?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXyTwGGivVg) - safe for work OK, I’ll bite. The only flaw I can see is that “bloody hell” seems a bit off for such a cheery commercial. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/12 "2013-08-16T19:08:16Z")
[Denmark Introduces Harrowing New Tourism Ads Directed by Lars Von Trier](http://www.theonion.com/video/denmark-introduces-harrowing-new-tourism-ads-direc,14403/). One of my all-time favorite Onion videos. Warning: not for everyone ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/13 "2013-08-16T20:22:04Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > [Denmark Introduces Harrowing New Tourism Ads Directed by Lars Von Trier](http://www.theonion.com/video/denmark-introduces-harrowing-new-tourism-ads-direc,14403/). One of my all-time favorite Onion videos. Warning: not for everyone For the win. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/14 "2013-08-17T11:08:14Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > OK, I’ll bite. The only flaw I can see is that “bloody hell” seems a bit off for such a cheery commercial. > Roddy The problem was that, although said in the demure and cheerful tones for which Australians are famed, most countries thought 'Wherethebloodyhellareya?" sounded like the opening lines of a soon-to-be violent drunk who’s deciding whether or not he loves ya, or the other. Australian English is probably the only one that counts ‘bloody’ as an acceptable part of daily speech. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/15 "2013-08-17T11:18:31Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Australian English is probably the only one that counts ‘bloody’ as an acceptable part of daily speech. Not true - Americans hear “bloody” as a quaint and inoffensive Britishism. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inapprpriate-or-confronting-tourism-campaigns/666395/16 "2013-08-17T14:40:51Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Not true - Americans hear “bloody” as a quaint and inoffensive Britishism. Yeah, I’d say it’s the “hell” that would seem more problematic for American audiences. If anything, “Where the hell are you?” without the “bloody” would be even worse, because as you say “bloody” generally seems sort of quaint and amusing to Americans. Had the final line been something like “We’ll have a bloody good time!” then that might seem a bit odd but I don’t think it would have been considered particularly offensive here.