There’s no denying that “The Best Job In The World” has been a huge PR success for Queensland Tourism, but less than a month into the role, the backlash has begun. Still reeling from getting hammered in the cricket, the Australian press are enjoying laying the boot in to their Pom visitor. The shame of having to recruit a Brit to do their “best job” has clearly been a bit too much for them.
Queensland Tourism’s decision to recruit a Brit for the role was surprising. Could it have been influenced by the BBC’s decision to broadcast an hour-long documentary on the role on prime time BBC1 to 3.7 million viewers? Maybe Queensland see Britain as their most crucial market, but whatever the reasons, it wasn’t the smartest decision if they wanted good press on their home turf.
Winner, Ben Southall got off to a sticky start just two days into his new role when he referred to Hayman Island as Hayward Island. Since then the Aussie press have concentrated on the lack of blog posts, labelling him the “lazy Brit” and highlighting some of the negative comments on his blog.
So how is he doing? Surprisingly, he only managed three short posts in his first 14 days. You would expect him to capitalise on the initial publicity of his start with a barrage of posts. Perhaps stung by criticism, the posts have been more regular in recent days. As for the posts themselves, the writing and photos are OK, if not spectacular, but he could cut some of his longer posts of 1200+ words into two of 600 words each.
As for the vitriol in his comments section, to be fair, the majority of comments are positive and it’s all pretty mild stuff for anyone who reads the Guardian‘s website. It’s not easy for Southall whose every word is probably under scrutiny not just from his employers, but the Australian media and a fair number of jealous onlookers. And there’s no doubting that if he was any other nationality he would be getting an easier ride.
