The truth behind THAT cheeky new SA tourism ad
A cheeky new tourism campaign for South Australia that made its debut on Wednesday has left many Aussies wondering who is behind the supposed April Fool's Day joke.
The new campaign invites visitors to “go down south with your mouth” and indulge on the wine, food and “unforgettable experiences” available in the state.
In an extensive press release, which accompanies a website, Facebook and Instagram pages, the travel initiative’s creators claimed it was in response “to a year of adversity and commercial hardship”.
“While we can’t travel abroad, South Australia is a mesh of exciting, multicultural cuisine with industry personnel from all over the world calling it home,” the press release reads.
“Our diverse pocket of Australia is home to world-class chefs, industry-leading winemakers, and producers of the most sought after organising delights.”
The campaign has created quite a stir online, but South Australia tourism says they’re not behind it.
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“It’s certainly not us,” a spokeswoman told Yahoo News Australia.
The South Australian Tourism Commission tweeted about the Taste Down South initiative to put some queries to rest.
“Folks, it's not us - not even sure we want to buy the T-shirt TBH (to be honest),” the commission wrote, noting the array of merchandise for sale.
So who is behind the cheeky idea?
A phone number for a Taste Down South representative, Clarke Reid, goes straight to voicemail and requests made by Yahoo News Australia for comment haven’t been returned.
Despite an office being listed in Adelaide, the company’s home appeared to be in Queensland and linked to the two men behind the “CU in the NT” tourism campaign, the ABC reported.
Adam Blackburn and Blaze Tripp are directors of ICBM, which the Taste Down South website is registered to, the publication said.
The pair admitted in a podcast last year they were responsible for the Northern Territory initiative.
"We're just a couple of blokes that are knocking up some ideas," Mr Blackburn said at the time.
"It's an invitation to the greatest territory in the world mate, that's what it is."
No matter where it came from, the new campaign has garnered some laughs online.
“Suddenly, I really want to go to Adelaide. But also, Betoota – dat you?” one woman said, referencing the satirical website.
“I’ve been to Adelaide. The food scene there is amazing enough to pull off this ridiculous slogan,” another person wrote.
Others called it “brilliant marketing” that will get people talking no matter what.
Yahoo News Australia has contacted the company behind the "CU in the NT" campaign.
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