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Shifting Signs of "Australianness" as Represented
In Tourism Advertisement Campaigns between 1984 and 2013
Introduction
The tourism industry of Australia has evolved significantly over the past thirty
years as both the nation and the world at large have changed. From the
perspective of semiotics in tourism advertisements, aesthetic constructions of
"Australianness", and symbols designed to convey it, offer a valuable case
study of the differences between signs, signifiers, and the signified, and reflect
how a wide array of social, cultural and ideological dimensions and meanings
associated with Australia have changed over time. According to Heffner and
Kurani (2006, p. 2), a “sign” usually contains two components: signifier and
signified. “Signifier” could be briefly explained as a vehicle for cultural
meanings, while “signified” refers to the actual things supplied to the cultural
meanings.
This essay will use the semiotic method to examine and contrast the key
differences between two advertisements from different Australian tourism
campaigns: the Australian Tourism Commission's "Come and Say G'day"
campaign (1984-1990) hosted by Paul Hogan (video link see appendix1), and
Tourism Australia's "There's Nothing Like Australia" campaign (video link see
appendix2), launched in 2013. Several aspects of the advertisements will be
discussed below: the cast, how the cast acts and behaves, the scenarios and
environments in which the cast appears, and other themes and production
details that serve as signifiers. By comparing the two advertisements, this
essay will present the case that each is a product of Australia's place on what
can be termed the cultural cringe-cultural strut continuum; the nation's
demographic transition from a culturally and ethnically homogenous to
heterogeneous society; as well as the changing nature of the target audience.
The first advertisement, dating from 1984 and starring comedic icon and
“archetypal Aussie” Paul Hogan, was broadcast to audiences in the United
States. An avowed celebration of “Australianness”,it has an informal style and
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casual vibe (see feature1).
(Feature 1)
The second advertisement, released in 2013, stars anonymous actors with
model good looks and sophisticated tastes, is a visual buffet of Australia’s
finest array of produce served in the some of the world’s most paradisiacal
locations (see feature2). According to Tourism Australia Website (undated),
this campaign showcases the variety and quality of Australia’s culinary
experiences to international markets.
(Feature 2)
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Signs of Australian people
Firstly, The signifier of “Australian” has changed. In the communication field,
the sign of a group of people can be categorized in the symbolic signs, and
also, a visible sign. As Leeds-Hurwitz pointed, symbolic signs can be tersely
defined as one of the most relevant communication signs (2012). When the
first advertisement aired in 1984, the signifier of the Australian "national type",
as it had been for more than a century, was a white man, masculine in
appearance and rugged in his proclivities, with a down-to-earth attitude and
strong "larrikin streak" (see feature 3). Paul Hogan, the star of the 1984
tourism advertisement, is widely considered as the living embodiment of this
depiction of the quintessential Australian, and is supported by an exclusively
white cast.
(Feature 3)
This image of the "archetypal Aussie" is in part the result of the White Australia
Policy, an immigration policy dating from the Federation era (1901-1914)
which severely restricted non-European and non-English speaking migrants
from moving to Australia (Jupp, 2002. p. 57). The policy was officially
dismantled in the early 1970s, allowing migrants, regardless of their ethnic
background, first language or religious affiliation, to live in Australia. By the
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mid-1980s, wave of migrants from non-European countries began to enter
Australia. Thus, by the time the 1984 advertisement aired, the traditional
image of the "archetypal Aussie" was already at odds with Australia's shifting
demographic reality, and while native-born whites still comprised a significant
majority of the population, non-Europeans had begun to weave strong threads
through the nation's cultural fabric, sparking debate on what constitutes the
"archetypal Aussie" and criticism of its exclusivity.
In 2013, the year of the release of the second tourism advertisement, the
percentage of Australian residents born in other countries had increased
dramatically to 24 percent, a significant proportion of whom hailed from
non-European countries, such as China, Vietnam and India, thereby
increasing the diversity of the nation's ethnic and cultural makeup. (Abs.gov.au,
2013). In other words, the signifiers of "Australianness" used the 1984
advertisement, as well as the concept of a "national type", had been
undermined, since Australian society had gone from comprising mostly
native-born "whites" of Anglo-Celtic stock to a multi-ethnic melting pot. This is
reflected in the cast of the 2013 advertisement, which features Asians and
other people of mixed, non-European ancestry (see feature 4).
(Feature 4)
In addition, Australian people of Indigenous and Torres Straight Islander
descent are represented in several scenes of the 2013 advertisement (see
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feature5). For many generations, Aborigines had been relegated to the
margins of Australian society, and were considered members of a "dying race".
(Barta, 1987, pp.237-253) Their social status and cultural influence has grown
since the 1980s, and, through their efforts in artistic fields such as painting and
music, have enjoyed a greater ability in helping to define and shape the
nation's identity (David, 1994, p. 189.) , the "national type", once invariably a
white male, had become more inclusive of people from diverse racial and
cultural backgrounds, which the 2013 advertisement aims to signify in its
depiction of Australian people.
(Feature 5)
Signs of Australian lifestyle
Another striking semiotic shift is evident in the behaviors,body language and
activities of the cast for each advertisement. Behaviors can be regarded as
a ”nonverbal communication”. Observing and analyzing the behaviors as parts
of nonverbal communicate signs could be helpful in understanding social
interactions (Leeds-Hurwitz, 2012, p. 16).
For example, the 1984 advertisement features Hogan addressing the viewer
directly in a down-to-earth and friendly manner. At one point, while at the
beach, he greets a bikini-clad woman strolling casually passed him. Elsewhere
in the video, Hogan is seen propped up at a bar being served a glass of beer
by a cordial publican (see feature 6), and later, by the Sydney Harbor, with a
sign, the iconic Opera House, standing in the background, he invites the
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viewer to come over and try one of the shrimps he is presently grilling on a
barbeque.
(Feature 6)
(Feature 7)
In contrast, the casts of the 2013 advertisement do not address the viewer, but
rather engage in several classy activities. In one scene, a man and a woman
drink glasses of red wine over a game of chess. In other shots, a waiter
prepares tables for a candle-lit dinner in the outback at sunset, and a large
gathering of people in a tropical location, dressed in their finest and holding
glasses of wine (see feature 7), stop to marvel at the strange, alien calls of
Australian birds.
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Since the cast members do not speak throughout the advertisement, the
Australian slang and larrikin humor of the 1984 advertisement are dispensed
with, and cultural institutions, such as Australian Rules football, are replaced
with benign leisure activities that can originate in any part of the world. These
different signifiers of culture and lifestyle reflect a broader range of influences
attributable to globalization and multiculturalism, and a deliberate move away
from that which is seen as unmistakably, even brashly, Australian.
In order to analyze signifiers of "Australianness", an understanding of the
social and cultural climate in which said signifiers propagate is essential. In the
decade immediately preceding 1988, the year of celebrations surrounding the
bicentenary of European settlement in Australia, a renewed sense of
Australian nationalism emerged. (Bongiorno, F, 2015, p. 227) Other factors
that played into this include the rapturous "national triumph" of Australia
becoming the first country other than the United States to win the America's
Cup yacht race in 1983 (Financial Review, 2015), and the revitalization of
Australia's film industry, marking the first time in decades that Australian
stories were being told on the silver screen, garnering both critical acclaim and
box office success (Beeton, 2004, pp. 125-135).
Signifiers of cultural "Australianness" in the 1984 advertisement include
Hogan's use Australian English slang, such as "mate", "fair dinkum", "barbie",
"no worries" and "g'day". Also, distinctively Australian cultural inventions, such
as a match of Australian rules football (see feature 8), are interspersed to the
sound of "Waltzing Matilda", widely regarded as Australia's unofficial national
anthem (West, 2001, pp.127-141.) and the most iconic example of the bush
ballad, a traditional and nationalistic genre of Australian poetry. The entire cast,
including Hogan, is of European extraction, presenting Australia as a
homogenous nation with confidence in its identity.
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(Feature 8)
(Feature 9)
In the 2013 advertisement, a more urban lifestyle of sophistication is depicted,
such as the scene of the Yarra River and the Crown Casino at night, as viewed
from a boat (see feature 9). It is result from the development of Melbourne’s
image, which shifted from a dull and unsophisticated Australian city into an
international metropolis at the present. As what have been discussed, the
signifiers of Australian lifestyle changed for the cultural factors which relative to
both domestic and international influences.
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Signs of Australian national image
In the connotative level, a kangaroo (see feature 10), as the particular animal
on Australia national flag and national emblem, and the exclusive specious
which only live in Australian, is refers to more than a denotative mammal, but
could have been one of the most typical visual signs of Australian national
image. As Fahmy, Bock and Wanta remarked (2014, p. 5), ”Visual
communication often uses all three categories of signs”. It means, the visual
sign as a kangaroo, can connotatively a used as the combination of an iconic
sign, an indexical sign, and a symbolic sign simultaneously. The noteworthy
point of distinction between the two advertisements is: the more recent
provides the depictions of Australian fauna, such as kangaroos, sea lions and
Tasmanian huge crabs.
(Feature 10)
Interestingly, such animals do not appear in the 1984 tourism advertisement.
This is probably a conscious decision on the part of Paul Hogan and others
who worked on the advertisement. Serving as Australia's tourism minister at
the time of the "Come and Say G'day" campaign, John Brown stated that, prior
to the release of the advertisement starring Hogan, Australia was "seen as a
zoo ... interesting marsupials and no people." (Traveller, 2015) For this reason,
the advertisement starring Hogan purposefully eschewed the depiction of
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Australian animals, which, up to that time, were prominently emphasized in the
history of Australian tourism advertisements. In this sense, the unique
Australian character was the main focus of attention, rather than the country's
natural environment or unique animals in the 1984 advertisement.
(Feature 11)
Furthermore, as can be seen in screenshots of the various animals shown
throughout the 2013 advertisement, it is noticeable that every shot of an
animal also includes people encountering and even touching the animal (see
feature 10, feature 11), with no signs of negative impact upon said animal or
the pristine environment in which it dwells. This sense of equality and deep
mutual respect between humans and animals gives the viewer an impression
that Australia is a very eco-friendly country, if not a land approaching
something like an idyllic arcadia where the natural dominance hierarchy has
been suspended, and species live together in harmony. It is true that Australia
has some of the world's strictest and most comprehensive law systems for the
protection of animals and the environment; also, a variety of charities and
animal welfare associations ensure that any cruelty towards animals is met
with punishment (Ross and Dovers, 2008, pp. 245-260.).
In the same denotative perspective, koalas and emus are also widely
recognized as the signifiers of "Australianness", albeit they are not appears in
Australian tourism advertisement. The use of symbolic signs in relation to
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animals in the 2013 advertisement reveals the metaphor that not only
Australia's commitment to preserving the environment it has inherited, but also
a return to the uncomplicated tropes that defined the pre-Hogan era of tourism
in the country.
Paul Hogan: the indexical sign of Australianness targeted to American
audience
At odds with the interchangeability of animals as signifiers in the 2013 tourism
advertisement, Paul Hogan is an irreplaceable symbol, and an indexical sign,
for the marketing target audience (the Americans) of the 1980s. According to
Atkin, (2005,pp.161-188), indexical signs refers to signs where caused by the
signified, and have an indicative function to signify the referent. Hogan’s
advertisement campaign is the first tourism publicity targeted to overseas
audience, especially the Americans. As Minchin mentioned, Americans at the
time had developed a borderline obsession with Australian culture, in particular
films and musical acts, which primed them for a tourism advertisement that
would satiate their desire for more media content from "Down Under" ( 2010,
pp.1104-1111). With a friendly, innocent, wise and humble image, Paul Hogan
was undoubtedly the correct choice to signify to Americans the qualities and
characteristics that were quintessentially (see feature 12).
Also, latently, these same qualities might reminded Americans their own
self-image, and were identified as something of a throwback to an earlier time
in their own history - viewed through the rosy red lenses of nostalgia - a land of
adventurous "can do" spirit, frontier values and a stronger sense of community.
That is, from the semiotic perspective, the causal relation between Paul
Hogan's personal image and Australia was relatable yet distinct, connotative
and comprehensive.
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(Feature 12)
(Feature 13)
Paradigmatic choices of signs face to different target audience
As for the 2013 advertisement, the soundtrack, Dewayne Everett Smith’s "It's
Like Love", is an adult contemporary baroque pop song, devoid of any lyrics or
compositional elements that are markedly Australian. The reassembling of the
soundtrack, the cast of effete urbanites, and the new slogan, ”There is nothing
like Australia”, signifies a new paradigm shift in concepts of “Australianness”:
trendy, stylish, and intellectual, which targets a global audience (see feature
13).
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Both of the 1984 and 2013 tourism advertisements can be viewed as
examples of syntagmatic production. In terms of the 1984 advertisement, the
combination of overt “Australianness”, casual atmosphere, and a cheeky
sense of humor, serves as a successful marketing ploy for the intended target
audience, Americans. The advertisement has since become embedded in
America’s collective psyche as a definitive representation of Australia (Robert
Upe, 2014). The 2013 advertisement's depiction of upper-class living,
sanitized settings and lack of character appeases the demands of the global
market. Understandably, advertisers should come up with different marketing
strategies in catering to receivers of information.
Conclusion
The causes of the differences between signs in the two Australian tourism
advertisements can be summarized as changes in demography, cultural and
social contexts and developments, the increasing concern over humanity's
impact on the environment and protection of native animals, and the different
marketing target audiences. As a result, a denotative referent can usually have
different and developing signifiers. Additionally, the external conditions can
also be factors that counteract and change the signifiers. The role tourism
advertisements can play in reflecting, and defining, a nation's identity and
self-image is demonstrated most strikingly in the case of Australia. The
ongoing evolution and deconstruction of “Australianness” also reminds
advertisers to cognizant of design and aim of their productions, and their
cultural and social context, so that they can construct a reasonable connection
between the referents and the signifiers, and to create suitable signs to
promote their particular advertisement.
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References
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Appendix
1984 “Come and say G’day tourism campaign”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ9eLXNLnvg
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2013 “There’s nothing like Australia tourism campaign” :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rxXrtwoPJo
Note
Every image inserted in this essay is the screenshot from the two tourism
advertisements.