Question Time

Tourism Advertising

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:20): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment regarding tourism.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The 'old mate' tourism campaign has been the subject of unprecedented negative criticism. Adam Ferrier, consumer psychologist and founder of creative agency Thinkerbell and regularly seen on TV on the Gruen Transfer,said about the ad:

This communications creates a paired association between South Australia and being older, sad and lonely. This obviously isn’t great. It may have the opposite effect to what they were intending.

Another fear I have for this ad is that those who do hear the ‘joke’ may actually just find it offensive. The joke obviously falls flat, and therefore it doesn’t motivate people to go.

Further, Jane Mussared, CEO of COTA, said about the ad, and again I quote:

…we were disappointed that it just uses stereotypes that are long gone here in South Australia…this is just grim and glum and bad.

The ad seems to be almost universally despised. My questions to the minister are: will the minister advise when he first became aware of the nature of the 'old mate' tourism campaign? Did the minister approve or note the campaign? At any point did the minister raise concerns about the campaign?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:22): I thank the honourable member for his ongoing interest in tourism and in particular the 'old mate' campaign. I will give a little bit of background in answer to the honourable member's question.

It was obviously this month that the South Australian Tourism Commission launched its 2019-20 spring/summer campaign for key interstate markets: New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. It was aimed primarily at tourists between the ages of 25 and 54. The ad was designed to have cut through and to get people talking. Isn't it great that today people are still talking about the ad? It's actually what the creative people wanted, to talk about the ad.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I am happy to carry on.

The PRESIDENT: It's a matter for you, the Hon. Mr Ridgway.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: The ad focuses on Adelaide and South Australia's award-winning chefs, bars and breathtaking nature and tells the story of someone who regrets not coming to South Australia sooner. The ad does use provocative humour to make the point that coming to South Australia shouldn't be put off: don't wait, and don't spend your lifetime wondering.

The exposure of the advertisement on various top-rating prime-time national programs such as Sunrise, Today and The Project has been significant. This media is media we can't afford to buy, all designed to make people re-evaluate Adelaide and South Australia. In fact, the extent of the free publicity of the 'old mate' campaign attracted in excess of $2 million of earned media value, and there are demographics of all ages enjoying South Australia in the ad, including the older man.

Our message to the potential interstate visitors is there is something here for everyone in Adelaide and South Australia. It's clear from the response and from the results that our message is cutting through in a huge way. The honourable member quoted some people who had a point of view. Just for his benefit, I will quote some from Mr Waleed Aly, from The Project. He says:

What better way to sell the idea of Adelaide. It's a place that people [overlook], and they're saying, you thought that your whole life, you're wrong about that, and if you don't come, you'll have regrets. I think that's brilliant. There's no better way to tell that story.

That's Waleed Aly. Peter Helliar, from The Project said:

It's brilliant…that's why you have to go to Adelaide…don't just call [your Dad], take him to Adelaide.

David Koch from Sunrise said:

…given we're all talking about it…it's a quirky ad. He's looking at all these young people having a great time and thinking 'I could have been them'…the message is—go to Adelaide and enjoy it.

Mr Mark Beretta—this is from The Project and Sunrise—says:

…when you sit down and watch the whole ad, it leaves you with the little kicker at the end…I think its actually clever, and the pictures are beautiful. Obviously, it's not for everyone but I think it will find it's spot.

It is interesting to look at some of the results. From Sunday the 1^st to Monday the 9^th—at only the beginning of this week—the campaign was mentioned some 407 times in the published media. This coverage had a cumulative reach of some nine million people and an advertising space ratio of more than $2.1 million, including high-profile shows such as The Project, Sunrise and the Today show. On the weekend of 7 and 8 September, there were 21,498 and 22,201—I will repeat that again: 21,498 and 22,201—domestic visits, respectively, to southaustralia.com. These are the two highest days of domestic tracking ever recorded on southaustralia.com.

The PRESIDENT: We are getting close to the four-minute mark.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Mr President, I am keen to make sure that the members opposite understand the importance of this ad.

The PRESIDENT: I am the President, and I am keen for the crossbenches to be able to ask a question, minister. Sit down. Does the opposition have a supplementary?