Oprah's Aussie Adventure
Submitted: Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 at 11:36
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Gone Bush (WA)
I'm surprised this hasn't been discussed so far.
Last show tonight.
What do people think so far?
I thought it was very good. It wasn't outlandish. I'm sure it will get more people visiting this country. She seems to be quite a genuine person, not consumed by her own celebrity status.
The only cringeworthy thing, for me, was overuse of that terrible Aussie, Aussie, Aussie chant. I hate it, but that's just my opinion, doesn't really matter.
Maybe David and Michelle could put the word "oprah" as one of the words that directs internet search engines to EO.
There's no doubt all the visitors that came with Oprah were very impressed with Australia. It isn't possible to buy the sort of exposure she gave us.
Well done to Oprah and all Aussie companies involved.
Reply By: Patrol22 - Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 at 12:21
Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 at 12:21
It is possible to buy that sort of exposure.....because that's exactly what was done to get her out here....but I agree entirely that it was money
well spent and will , IMHO, give us much much more exposure than 'where the bloody hell are you" or "put another shrimp on the barbie" etc.
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Follow Up By: Member - Julie & John (VIC) - Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 at 14:53
Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 at 14:53
Gday...
Know how ya feel ... but the $$$'s put up by the various State & Federal Govt's was all spent in OZ ... rather than the usual promo funds being spent oseas. So we got a pretty good deal - good exposure, injection of funds into OUR tourist industry and ongoing exposure from word-of-mouth info as stated below.
Didn't watch her visit and haven't watched the shows since but hey ... the lady has cred.
Cheers
John
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Reply By: cycadcenter - Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 at 12:46
Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 at 12:46
Funny you should ask, I'm in the USA and just watched the last episode and wallked over to the computer to comment here on it.
The reaction here in the USA is boggling with everyone talking about it, I've had 20 or so calls and emails since it was on with nothing but positive comments.
Yes it was a bit cringworthy in a few
places but overall it portrayed Oz in a very positive way.
Well worth the 5 million spent by the government, much more bang for the buck than the $42 million spent on the world cup bid and it will have an immediate effect.
Thre are probably 2-3 Qantas ads on TV every night and Qantas are even adding direct flights from Dallas to
Sydney.
Back in December I flew out of
Sydney to USA on the day that Oprah was on the harbour, Gotta tell you it was a beautiful day and with the boats on the harbour it was an incredible sight. Was sitting next to one of the producers for Sunrise and discussion if it was a good thing or not and some of the Sunrise staff were skepticle at first but it all turned out to be impressive.
Over here Oprah just can't stop talking about Australia, and it appears to be very genuine. Newspaper articles, internet, magazines all have features on the visit.
Love or hate "I Still Call Australia Home" it was pretty moving to close out the Show.
Bruce
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Follow Up By: Gone Bush (WA) - Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 at 14:08
Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 at 14:08
Bruce, very valuable observations from you, being on
the spot.
It's good to see such a response from the US public.
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Follow Up By: Member - Julie P (VIC) - Sunday, Jan 23, 2011 at 09:34
Sunday, Jan 23, 2011 at 09:34
As an aside to this - heard that Oprah mentioning the current flood crisis here in Oz prompted an influx of donations from the US public to the Flood Recovery Appeal - so that can only be a good thing - I just reckon a flying trip like that gives people a taste of us, maybe some of them will come back to have a real good look around.
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Reply By: Gone Bush (WA) - Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 at 15:04
Saturday, Jan 22, 2011 at 15:04
I see in this morning's "West Australian" newspaper that Tourism WA's website had a 24% increase in hits and they are offering US tourists free flights to WA from
Sydney,
Melbourne and
Brisbane.
Sounds like a good initiative.
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Reply By: didiaust - Sunday, Jan 23, 2011 at 08:30
Sunday, Jan 23, 2011 at 08:30
We have done a couple of short cruises(12 & 14 days) on a US ship that has now visited here for 3 summers and during those cruises we have met many US citizens. I am suprised at how little they know about oz. I am also suprised that they fly here (14 hours min) and board the ship a day later then when we get back to port they fly
home within a couple of days.
Maybe part of the problem is that many of them only get 2 weeks leave a year
Di
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Reply By: Member - Oldbaz. NSW. - Monday, Jan 24, 2011 at 17:34
Monday, Jan 24, 2011 at 17:34
I'll admit I was a bit skeptical, but after seeing the last episode (only saw one)
I think it may have some tourism upside, particularly after reading the good
reports above. I did think the Oz hotspots were dealt with briefly, but perhaps
the other shows showed more, & I thought it a little ironic that the "mega oz
stars" all loved oz so much that they didnt live here...but I guess that was a bit
to do with who is buttering their bread. Unfortunately I fear the exchange
rate will be a bigger factor, along with the aleged 8% passport rate of US
folks. Having encountered many of these gentle folk while O/S, one is
astounded by their general dismal knowledge of Oz, most said it is too far &
takes too long to see properly....some validity there, I suppose...still trying to
see it myself. I do wonder if we will ever see the true cost benefits of this
caper, or will the spin doctors tell us we made a motza....just like the debt
ridden Olympics....there I go...being skeptical again..(sigh)......oldbaz.
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