There's nothing like Australia: From social advocacy to social media populism

The advent and popularization of social media networks in the last decade have produced considerable changes in Australia's tourism advertising, supposedly opening spaces for social advocacy in the promotion of the country. Based on a historical revision of the campaigns created by the brand Australia from 2003 to 2012, this paper analyses the adoption of social media by Tourism Australia in campaigns to promote the country. In particular, it outlines some of the changes that this adoption has generated in the production of tourism advertising. It focuses on "There's nothing like Australia", a crowdsourcing campaign based on promotional materials that use the holiday experiences of Australian people. Launched in 2012, the campaign was presented to citizens as an invitation to "change stereotypes" about the country and to "show the real Australia to the world" by sharing their holiday pictures in social media networks. The paper finds that the incorporation of social media technologies in the promotional strategies of brand Australia has generated a transition from traditional advertising campaigns broadcasted on television, based on memorable jingles and starred by celebrities, to new ones publicized in digital media and based on user generated content. Tis transition has been applauded in marketing spheres for its empowering of audiences, commended in the news media for democratizing tourism promotion, and celebrated by Tourism Australia for rediscovering the "real Australia". The paper, however, questions the democratic character of the campaign, the supposed empowerment of citizens to change stereotypes, and the "realness" of the holiday pictures chosen to advertise the country. While it is true that social media networks can be used for opening spaces for social inclusion and civic engagement, the corporatization of these platforms can also lead to "social media populism" under the guise of empowerment, democratic participation and authenticity