Tourism Australia is encouraging domestic travel with “No Leave, No Life”, a campaign designed to address Australia’s stockpile of accrued annual leave. “Australian employees have accumulated a massive 123 million days of annual leave which is equal to $33 billion in wages. If we can unlock some of this leave and get people to use it to holiday in Australia it would be of great benefit to our $65 billion domestic tourism industry.” Geoff Buckley, Managing Director, Tourism Australia. The use of battle imagery, however, has attracted criticism from Australian war veterans.
Win The Work/Life Battle
The No Leave No Life project has hit a raw nerve in its “Win the Work/Life Battle” print advertising campaign, in which a family raises a beach umbrella. Critics have said that the campaign is too similar to “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima”, a historic photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945, on the top of Mount Suribachi. Represents of the Returned Services League say that the image is disrespectful to the thousands of American and Japanese soldiers who fought and died in the battle for the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. See more on RSL reactions at the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Photograph by Joe Rosenthal, Associated Press
Online Resources
The No Leave No Life site, www.noleavenolife.com, has dedicated sections for both businesses and their workforces. The employees’ section is designed to help individuals and families understand the significant benefits of taking annual leave as well as offer inspirational ideas for Australian holidays and experiences. The employers’ section provides an insight into the barriers and pressures faced by employees that result in a reluctance to take annual leave and provide tools to help businesses support their staff in achieving a healthy work/life balance.
Credits
Tourism Australia’s No Leave No Life campaign was developed by DDB Sydney.
It’s a great ad, and obviously aimed at taking the piss out of veterans however in this climate nobody is taking leave.
Nobody wants to, we’re all saving our holidays.
Great campaign, wrong timing.
Love it. Really great ad, about the feeling of claiming victory when taking a break. Probably also pretty inspiring to most American vets.