Oslo Just Dropped the Most Sarcastic Tourism Ad We've Ever Seen
In a new tourism ad, VisitOslo included a very creative twist to encourage tourism to the city.
It seems like Oslo's official marketing organization, VisitOslo, took the phrase "there's no such thing as bad publicity" to heart.
In a new viral video designed by NewsLab, a local agency, VisitOslo tries to convince travelers to head to the Norwegian capital by explaining how "bad" of a place it is—or better, how bad it is from the perspective of someone who, in reality, likes chaos. So far, the campaign has racked up more than 1.5 million views on TikTok, over 1.2 million views on Instagram, and surpassed 6 million views on X.
"I wouldn't come here, to be honest," says the Norwegian protagonist of the sarcasm-infused video, who claims to live in Oslo. "Oslo is just not… I mean, is it even a city? You know what I mean? Everything is just so… available, you know? There's no exclusiveness."
According to Anne-Signe Fagereng, marketing manager at VisitOSLO, the strategy behind the video was to create something so different and unique that it would stand out from the rest of the crowd.
"The reason we dared to use this honest sense of humor in an international campaign is of course to get attention, and it works!" said Fagereng in a statement. "This approach is never without risk, but fortunately, we have so far received an enormous amount of positive interest."In the video, the Oslo resident then lists all the things that make Oslo a terrible place to live. "You can just walk from one side of town to the other in like 30 minutes," he says, expressing contempt. Try that in New York or Paris."
Soon after, he mentions the city's cultural scene. Apparently, you don't have to stand in line for two hours to visit a museum in Oslo. Horrifying! And what if you want to eat at a restaurant? You don't really have to book it; you can just "walk in off the street and get a table." Pathetic.
As Fagereng points out, Oslo has only recently emerged as a bucket list destination, but it is still considered under the radar. In this sense, the campaign is a veiled invite to discover its unique and intriguing traits—even if the video protagonists seem to "disagree."
"The inspiration for the ad is Oslo's position as an underdog as far as city break destinations go—both in Europe and the Nordics," said Fagereng. "However, 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."
"I think the city should feel a little hard to get," the Oslo resident says at the end. "It's like a good relationship, you know? It's not supposed to be easy."
You can watch the video below: