Dear subscriber.
In the early 80s…
The Australian economy was sagging like the pants on an old-school hip-hop artist.
The economy needed pulling up, and… the Australian government looked to improve tourism to help put a shot in the economy’s arm.
The government poured millions upon millions of dollars into Australian tourism and the ad campaigns were rolled out worldwide. Yup, Australian tourism commercials were popping up like gold diggers at an NBA awards night afterparty.
But there was a big dirty hair in the soup.
And that big dirty hair was this:
The Australian tourism ad campaigns had about as much impact as a fly landing on a marshmallow.
I’ll tell you something about Australia. We are hella good (I picked up that saying from my 14-year old daughter) at sport, but when it comes to advertising, we suck more than airplane toilets! Australian advertising agencies are to marketing what Caucasians are to dancing. Well, in 1984, that all changed. How so?
Here’s how so.
One gloomy day in London, Paul Hogan and his business partner John Cornell was strolling along the dank streets of London when they happened upon the Australian House. They both stop and look up at the huge billboard plastered on the side of the building. It was an ad promoting the Land down Under. It was the typical Australian tourism ad: a picture of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a beach, a koala, and a kangaroo. This billboard was the brainchild of yet another advertising agency full of …
… Braindead Creatives Whose Pooled
Creativity Wouldn’t Fill a Teaspoon!
Cornell takes a drag on his Marlboro ciggy, looks at Hogan, looks back at the billboard, looks back at Hogan, and says, “What the bloody hell is this crap! Ya know, Hoges, we could come up with a better ad if we were both in a coma!” Bloody oath, mate!”, replies Hogan.
Fast forward 6 months.
John Cornell is standing in the boardroom pitching the Australian Tourism committee on letting Paul Hogan and himself have full creative rights to come up with Australia’s next tourism ad campaign.
Fast forward another 6 months.
Australia buys up major prime-time TV slots in America and unleashed the now-famous “Throw a shrimp on the barbie” ad campaign created by none other than John Cornell and Paul Hogan.
How successful was that Australian tourism commercial?
Glad you asked.
Get this: In America, Cornell and Hogan’s campaign catapulted Australia from 49th to 1st on the list of most desired holiday destinations.
Not bad for a couple of blokes with zero training or qualifications in advertising, eh? (On second thoughts, it was probably their greatest advantage)
Listen, over the last few weeks, I’ve been studying that ad campaign like a banshee. I’m talking about the boardroom negotiations, the creative process, and the creative wizardry of Hogan and Cornell. And, I have, of course, documented all of it. There a sales and marketing secrets aplenty.
All of which are peppered throughout March’s issue of my print newsletter.
Here’s a quick coup d’oeil inside the March issue:
*A clever (and very sneaky) way of thinking that can improve your business acumen in a big way. – page 12
*The dunderhead’s guide to strategic and effective business planning. These lessons are inspired by the man (whom many call a genius) who single-handedly took a middle-aged man who was a complete nobody from a small country town in N.S.W. Australia and turned him into a global superstar. – page 13
*A caveman simple marketing principle even pro marketers screw up. (Making this error will render your marketing as useless as a concrete parachute. – page 12
*Shrewd negotiation secrets from a man who’s considered to be one of Australia’s most cunning and creative businessmen. This man was the mastermind behind Australia’s most successful tourism ad campaign and revolutionizing the most traditional and stuck in its way sport ever invented: test cricket. (Cricket was invented by the British elite over 400 years ago. Yet… despite this sport being steeped in tradition and run by an international cricket council full of stuffy, uptight, and snobbish men who vehemently opposed any change to the sport, this man along with Australian media mogul, Kerry Packer, got exactly what they wanted and created what is now known as One-Day International cricket. – Read about this man’s genius starting on page 12)
If you’d like to start receiving my premium content, you can check out what the deal is here: https://kelvindorsey.com/mavericks-inner-circle/
If it makes you feel any better, all profits will be going to a blind children’s charity. Too bad they won’t see a dime of it.
No?
Nothing? Not even a titter? Geez you’re a tough crowd.
Your friend,
Kelvin
Email Marketing Maverick
