Visit Oslo’s latest tourism campaign comes in the way of a hilarious take on life in the Capital of Norway, claiming “Never visit Oslo, Norway. Is it even a city?”
“I wouldn’t come here.” That’s the opening of a new ad of the campaign that promotes the relative ease of Norway’s capital as a tourist destination.
The new anti-advertisement for the Norwegian capital has spread all over the world. Humor and irony are supposed to attract more tourists to Oslo. The video, which has gone viral follows a 31-year-old on a day around the city and he tells you everything ‘wrong’ with Oslo, but as a matter of fact, he perfectly captures the charm of the city.
“Everything is just so available.” He shares that there are no lines at museums and no waits at restaurants. At a time when several European cities are experiencing tourist boom queues and chaos, Oslo is trying to sell itself in a slightly different way.
Littered with comedic takes on things like the ability to walk from one side of the city to the other in half an hour or not needing to wait in line for hours to get into a gallery, the ad incorporates the dry humor Nordic countries are known for. Last year, Visit Sweden launched a campaign ad reminding viewers to stop confusing it with Switzerland. In 2021, Visit Iceland launched an ad that parodied the Metaverse.
“The inspiration for the ad is Oslo’s position as an underdog as far as city break destinations go, both in Europe and in the Nordics,” says Anne-Signe Fagereng, director of marketing for Visit Oslo.
“This is not exactly ‘Mona Lisa”, says the 31-year-old with a sigh in front of the painting of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”.
“The fact that it’s not as famous and crowded as some other capital cities is something we should start highlighting as a benefit. Oslo has been through an incredibly positive transformation over the last few decades, so it’s time our confidence in our capital catches up with reality.” says Fagereng.
It’s an appealing message, especially now. The world’s most popular tourist destinations, with some like Japan, Venice and Barcelona being struck with overtourism.
Oslo’s new campaign has caught the eyes of the marketing world with many taking to Linkedin to praise the video which runs for just under two minutes. Visit Oslo has paid for campaign screenings in Sweden, Denmark, England and the Netherlands. But the response has been enormous from several destinations around the world, among them Australia and the USA.
The sarcasm and irony seem to have worked. As of this writing, some of the results are
* 1.4 million views on TikTok
* 63,000 views on YouTube
In 2021 ‘The Munch’ opened in Oslo, a museum dedicated to artist Edvard Munch who painted The Scream. 2022 saw the opening of Norway’s National Museum and in 2027 The Museum of the Viking Age will open.
Some of the Norwegian capital’s most famous existing attractions are Akershus Fortress, the Holmenkollen Ski Jump, The Vigeland Park, The Opera House, the Nobel Peace Center and the Norwegian Maritime Museum.
Oslo saw an upsurge in international arrivals this past quarter. International arrivals in the Norwegian capital are up 26% from 2019 levels, according to ForwardKeys.
Never Visit Oslo, Norway, based on a press release from Visit Oslo