Australia: Social Media Competitions

TOURISM QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA AND OSAMA BIN LADEN Island Reef Job competition: One thing with social media – a lot of companies try to lock it down and make it their media, albeit promoted and pushed into social networks by people. If it doesn’t happen that way, and those darn consumers get involved, you can be in for a rude shock.

Tourism Queensland has been running a campaign called The Best Job in The World:

Queensland launched the Best Job in the World campaign on 12 January, calling for video applications from people interested in a AU$150,000 (£66,500) contract to relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for six months while writing a blog to promote the island. The advertisements have so far attracted more than 10,000 applications.

The job is part of a AU$1.7m campaign to publicise the charms of north-eastern Queensland state. The employee will live free on the island, exploring the reef and posting videos and photos on a weekly blog.

Some of the most popular videos that have wisely been vetted and approved by Queensland Tourism staff can be viewed on the department’s website.

Of course, if you vet the competition submissions, they just get thrown up all over the ‘net instead. Multiplying like cockroaches. Such as faux Osama bin Laden’s submission for the job on one of our beautiful Queensland islands:

Poor taste? Absolutely. But if you want elegance, idyllic imagery and perfect families, you shoulda stayed in the ’60’s and 70’s. Because, with a few notable exceptions, the Conversation is going to get rougher than you can possibly imagine.

We are really going to confront our value systems as they brush up against anothers’ over the next few years.  Currently, our jobs, our friends, our neighbourhood tend to mean we share somewhat similar values. However, online, we will either form ‘hoods again, or we will break out and look, really look, at other’s values, media and content.

I just hope it’s not full of bin Laden bikinis.

Hat Tip: The Guardian