Britain's television advertising regulator has agreed to review a ban on an Australian tourism campaign centered on the slightly risque phrase "bloody hell," officials said on Wednesday.
"It's a bloody good result," Australian Tourism Minister Fran Bailey said after she flew to London to save the campaign.
Britain's Broadcasting Advertising Clearance Center had banned the ads from British television because of concerns over the campaign's use of the word "bloody" and ordered censored ads run in their place.
Bailey said the center had now agreed to review the ban.
The ads begin with characters saying: "We've poured you a beer and we've had the camels shampooed, we've saved you a spot on the beach ... and we've got the sharks out of the pool."
They end with a bikini-clad woman on a beach asking "so where the bloody hell are you?"
So concerned were Australian tourism officials by the British decision that Bailey was sent to London to lobby broadcasters and regulators, along with the woman in the bikini, Sydney model Laura Bingle.
"My faith in British justice and humor has been restored and I am now hopeful that common sense will prevail," Bailey said in a statement issued by her Canberra office.
Bailey had argued that the word "bloody," a very mild profanity commonly used in Australia and Britain, was not generally considered offensive and had been used in other British advertising campaigns.
The A$180 million ($133 million) campaign is already running in the United States, New Zealand and in British cinemas and newspapers, and will also target China, Japan, India and Germany.
The full advertisement can be seen at www.wherethebloodyhellareyou.com
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