Bloody Hell!

Advertisements. Those consciousness-permeating, behavior-altering, consumer-targeting (and sometimes privately amusing) bits of noise or color or pleas to buy any number of useless products that are irritatingly inescapable, now forced upon us before movies and in toilet stalls, and for the right price, tattooed on your body. No lie.

You might be aware that earlier this year Tourism Australia launched an ad campaign bluntly yet cleverly named Where the Bloody Hell Are You? that provoked spasmodic fits of indignation in the UK and Canada, prompting them to ban the televised version of the ad for one reason or another. This might be labeled, um, futile, as the print and cinema ads were not included in this prohibition. Regardless, after apparently effective lobbying by the Australia Tourism Commission, the ban was lifted and all were once again subjected to this profane and offensive ad.

Interestingly enough, it seems that initially Canada's reasoning was that the ad violated its regulations by implying consumption of unbranded alcohol. Subsequently news stories revealed that the word "hell" was not family friendly and thus the ad would not be run during hours in which children might be exposed to such language. (Imagine your 6 year old running about the playground at school announcing "Bloody hell! Bloody hell!" to all of his or her schoolmates ... )

Admittedly, I am sincerely surprised at how much more relaxed advertising is in Australia ... and by relaxed I mean it contains any number of images that I am not used to witnessing within the various forms of media in the States. Although I have always been aware that outside of the US, nudity, sex, and other "risque" advertising elements are less likely to be met with a giggle or perhaps a modicum of displeasure, nowhere has it been made more apparent to me than watching an hour of prime time Aussie TV. Or wandering amongst the mazes of malls in downtown Sydney, like the Generation Y targeted The Galeries Victoria, whose latest ad campaign claims that TGV is "not like the others". Indeed. The images of tattooed cleavage, "love bites" and multi-studded tongue were enough to persuade me! Not that I really need persuading. Rather, it's refreshing to encounter attitudes and dispositions that treat me as a thinking, intelligent adult. Besides, see this bum? Enough said.