Come and Say G'day (Shrimp on the Barbie)

Why it works

Paul Hogan, a television star at home but unknown in the United States, speaks straight to Americans: they look like they need a "fair dinkum" holiday in the land down under. In about a minute the spot takes in beaches, Uluru, Sydney Harbour and the Opera House, a football match and a pub, coaching viewers to say "G'day" before Hogan, at the barbecue, promises to "slip an extra shrimp on the barbie" for them. Mojo first wrote "banger", then tried "prawn", before settling on the American word, and the line became synonymous with Australia for Americans, often misquoted. It is studied as destination marketing that sold a national character (friendly, cheeky, English-speaking) rather than scenery alone. The Australian Tourist Commission put about $6 million behind the campaign; officials credited it with a one-third rise in American visa applications in early 1984, and Australia reportedly jumped from 78th to 7th on Americans' most-desired holiday list within three months. The Smithsonian now features it as an example of 20th-century advertising.