New Positioning From Tourism Australia: We Have Lawyers And No Sense Of Humor

from the well-that-makes-me-want-to-visit dept

Reader B Pickel alerts us to the news that Tourism Australia recently launched a new tourism advertising campaign to try to attract people to Australia, using the slogan, "There's nothing like Australia." This campaign was launched following the disastrous "So where the bloody hell are you" campaign. Seriously. Of course, minutes after announcing the new campaign, someone went out and registered the domain NothingLikeAustralia.net, and started posting spoof versions of the campaign.

Now, if Tourism Australia had a sense of humor, they'd laugh it off, or maybe embrace it in some way. Instead, they're sending out the lawyers:
TA is understood to have launched a legal hunt for the creator of the site, seeking for it to be taken down for using the logo from the campaign that is a registered trademark of TA.
Yes, and the message that sends to potential tourists? Go somewhere else where people actually have a sense of humor. Update: As noted in the comments, Tourism Australia has apparently come to its senses and decided not to pursue a legal strategy. But the fact that they even considered it is pretty telling...
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: australia, tourism


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2010 @ 12:13pm

    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/spoof-website-mocks-new-150m-tourism-australia-campai gn-theres-nothing-like-australia/story-e6frg996-1225848490037

    "But after investigating the website the tourism body has decided to take no action, despite the mock ads using TA's intellectual property."

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    NAMELESS.ONE, 2 Apr 2010 @ 12:25pm

    i know where

    same place as the ACTA treaty and filters will allow

    NO WHERE

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2010 @ 1:56pm

    There's No Place Like Austria. There spelling corrected.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    NullOp, 2 Apr 2010 @ 2:26pm

    Australia

    Dear Australia,

    Be thankful you're not connected to the rest of these idiots up her above the Equator!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    iAussi, 2 Apr 2010 @ 4:07pm

    idiots

    Dear NullOp

    We have our own idiots in this country that rival your idiots (eg Conroy)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    bake n skate, 2 Apr 2010 @ 5:38pm

    "It is understood TA had tried to avoid such a brandjacking by buying up domain names similar to the tagline, but failed to register the nothinglikeaustralia.net address."

    lol

    how could you miss that?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    NAMELESS.ONE, 2 Apr 2010 @ 5:51pm

    I see your idiots

    and raise you 5 more.....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    J.Smith, 12 Jun 2011 @ 1:11am

    Welcome in Ozz

    Ooooh man, we want you, we love you,…….

    WE LOVE YOUR MONEY AND WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF IT

    Visit Australia we will share the experience with all tourists?! We look after you! Your well fare is going to be looked after by millions of CCTV Cameras, hidden Speed Cameras, Hidden Parking cameras, red light Cameras, Taxi Cameras, hidden Cameras in rental vehicles, hidden cams here and hidden cams there !!!!
    We are the safest country in the world. But take a look your self at film footage.
    If you are missing former eastern Europe and heavy handed police tactics, then come to Australia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE0CFEMQCv8&feature=related
    Or listen to F1 Driver Mark Webber and his opinion about his own Country http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccefRTKtDas
    So you say, You will not drive a car in Australia and then You will be safe!! Right?
    Are you safe in Albany?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SycspJ-3lQ&feature=related
    Are you safe in Melbourne
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptBRYV4nhek&feature=related
    Are Australians racist? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sinR_u17GL0&feature=related
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-UaYmhLXkk&feature=related
    Sure the Police will help you. Ay mate?
    Come to Queensland to get bashed by police then
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b14CpFhEbJU&feature=related but that is only a black man you said?????? OK, so you are white? You are of course better! Or maybe not! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dasbpCBU0hI or this better? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNLVDnvNa6I&feature=related The Cops are the son’s and daughters of former criminals / convicts and are trained to be vicious dogs that can’t leave you alone and you never know when they will bite you.
    But our “fair dinkum Australians” are even better. Take a look at those comments on Indien students, who dared to protest after some racially motivated bashings of Indien Students http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_n0kHb5n-I&feature=related

    But!!!!!
    Do Not complain, Because they will tell you to leave; - they will tell you that you are Unwanted in Australia; - they will ridicule you; - they will make you look like a DICK. And if that doesn’t work they will create an Anglo Royal Commission, which will establish you as a comrade of Bin Laden or Moammar Ghaddafy to keep you from reoffending. Keep you ill informed, make you believe that you are doing yourself a favor dobbing in your best mate and calling him an Anti - Christ just because he doesn’t believe in the Bullshit that has been imposed on ALL of us 23 million Australians.
    Including YOU!!!
    Blatant, utter Bullshit is Justification to STEAL YOUR MONEY!
    What?? You don’t believe me? I told you; “You are welcome”!!!!!!!!!

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.