Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) once came up with one of the catchiest catchphrases for tourism but got it banned just a few years later. The ban came even though the phrase, as expected, worked wonders for the tourism industry in the area.
The tourism slogan, ‘CU in the NT,‘ was perceived as degrading towards women, and was therefore taken down. Launched in 2016 by the independent brand NT Unofficial, the campaign aimed to boast the state’s “excellent sense of humor” with the tagline, “The top end. Different from the bottom end.”
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What Is The Controversy About?
NT Unofficial was successful at what it aimed to achieve. They ended up selling a large amount of merchandise in stores as well as popular markets. It also heavily promoted tourism in Australia’s Northern Territory, as it was originally expected to do.
The slogan, however, did not sit well with several activists who found it offensive. Some of the popular activists who openly criticised the slogan included as Darwin Alderman Robin Knox and Darwin’s Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis.
Knox also received several public complaints and was among the first ones to have launched a campaign demanding a ban on the sale of items that had the slogan written on them under the council limits.
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What Are Activists Saying?
“Such merchandise isn’t acceptable in this place that families like to enjoy. I find the slogan quite degrading to women. These are negative words that are used as a put down, and in common usage, the word is not a joke,” he was quoted as saying by Newshub in 2019.
Darwin’s Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis also described the ‘CU in the NT‘ slogan as “idiotic and offensive,” branding it a “very, very childish message.”
Several other critics said the slogan was inappropriate for public spaces where people of all ages will be able to see it. They deemed the statement as disrespectful and offensive towards women, stating that it is not conducive for spaces that families frequent.
NT Unofficial, at the time, defended the campaign slogan, stating that it has helped the authorities achieve an “overwhelmingly positive response.” The company also issued a social media statement clarifying that “there’s nothing insulting or degrading to women about a simple invitation to the greatest Territory on earth.”
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