$5 million for 30 seconds of airtime. Could this really be good ‘value for money’?

Seen by over 100 million viewers and at a cost of $5 million USD for 30 seconds of airtime – there was a lot riding on Tourism Australia’s recent Super Bowl ad. Whilst earlier Tourism Australia ads were moving away from the “kangaroos in the backyard” stereotype of Down Under, they’ve done a 180 and deliberately reverted back to a 1980’s depiction of Australia. Why? Because it resonates with the American consumer – who spent $3.7 billion tourism dollars in Australia last year. The Federal Government hopes this campaign will increase this spend to $6 billion by 2020. Introducing Crocodile Dundee’s son Brain plus a bunch of our top celebrities. So as a taxpayer-funded ad, did we get bang for our buck? Apparently in spades! In addition to the 100 million views, the ad hit 50% of its target audience in one fell swoop and achieved $30 million in free media –  generated out of the mock trailers that many Americans (and Australians) believed were legitimate, sparking many articles speculating about the movie's success. Very clever!! The ad is part of a larger Tourism Australia campaign ($36 million to be exact) over two years. To convert interest into bookings they’ve also published tailored travel itineraries and inspiring destination information on Australia.com. Check it out. Allison