
For whatever reason (hatred, disinterest, fear, money), international
tourism to the US has never rebounded to
pre-9/11 levels. This year, for
the first time, the federal government is spending money to change
things. While that fact is notable in and of itself, what's really
fascinating is how they're doing it: the campaign will feature images
from
popular Hollywood films (among them
Thelma & Louise,
Chicago, and
Maid in Manhattan),
accompanied by the lines "You've seen the film. Now visit the
location." And this is no tentative roll-out, either - the government
will spend $10 million next year to fill the UK and Japan with the
ads.
It's interesting that a government so dedicated to
"family values" would pay for a campaign that uses films encouraging
stuff like husband-threatening, criminal behavior, rampant sex
outside of marriage, and hiring Jennifer Lopez to advertise the US. Thoughts? Does the content of the films matter, or just the images? And does the campaign have any chance of succeeding?