Infamous 'CU in the NT' campaign gets tourism kudos despite obscenity ruling
That bootleg "CU in the NT" campaign for Australia's Northern Territory certainly got plenty of attention last year, but of course, it didn't thrill everyone.
One complaint to the country's Advertising Standards Board (ASB) called it "Crass, offensive and not suitable to be displayed where children can see it."
Although it's a sentiment the Northern Territory's tourism department agrees with, it did concede the campaign created plenty of travel buzz for the state.
"The initial thing about the campaign is that it certainly did get a lot of people talking about the Northern Territory and what there is to see and do up here," Valerie Smith, acting executive director of the NT tourism department, told ABC News on Thursday.
"While some people might have had a private giggle, it is not something at all appropriate for a marketing campaign.
"It's not something we would do or condone, but at the same time it does hanker to some of that larrikinism that is still up here in the Northern Territory."
The ASB upheld the complaint, determining the campaign was "obscene and inappropriate."
However, the ASB has no real power over the guerilla group of creators, cheekily named "NT Official."
The authority will instead "liaise" with NT Official and Facebook to try and convince them to take campaign down.
Turns out swearing can get you a pretty long way.
Topics Advertising
