Personally, I love the Tourism Victoria Ads. The “run rabbit, run” ad for the Yarra Valley is a favourite. But I don’t know how I feel about the newest offering promoting Daylesford, also known as the “spa capital of Australia”. The song is extremely haunting (“Down to the river to pray” sung by Paris Wells and the Brunswick Women’s Choir), but the imagery evokes visions of a crazy swinging religious sect in the middle of country Victoria. In a word: WEIRD. (That, and I kept thinking all the way through the ad, “Jesus, she needs to eat a hamburger”).
On the plus side, it seems to have pissed off the Christians, particularly for the “sexualisation” of the sacrament of baptism. Are they right to be offended? You be the judge.
Post Script: Turns out this ad is part of a $7.3 million campaign (!) to promote Daylesford over a three year period. Money well spent? Methinks in the negative, sadly.
