The New Orleans CVB came up with an ‘anti-British ad’ funded by British Petroleum. After an outcry against the ad in British newspapers and visitor cancellations started piling up in London, the CVB has now backed off and scrapped the ad which was set for a rollout today.

New Orleans British ad

Louisiana got $15 million from BP for tourism promotion, out of which $5 million went to New Orleans.

The tagline of the ad says “This isn’t the first time New Orleans has Survived the British.” 

The ad campaign is being run by the CVB’s PR firm Weber Shandwick along with New Orleans based ad company Peter Mayer.

Set against the backdrop of St. Louis Cathedral with a statue of General Andrew Jackson in the forefront, the ad implies that New Orleans will survive the damage being done by BP’s oilspill, just as General Jackson beat back the Redcoats in the War of 1812.

The ad is funny, but the tag-line also reinforces a growing sentiment in the UK that an American company wouldn’t be subjected to the same kind of bullying that BP has taken.

Apparently the CVB realized that they were playing with fire, so they added a line in small print that said “right now everyone is welcome, especially our friends from England.”

That didn’t help, however, after the Guardian picked up a post from blogofneworleans.com, and the New Orleans CVB’s London office started getting cancellations. 

New Orleans CVB president Steve Perry wrote to the Guardian, complaining that “”Your caustic and inaccurate characterisation of our actual intent and affection for the UK has further contributed to our burden and was hard-hearted and shocking.” 

Now that the anti-British ad is dead, the New Orleans CVB is putting out an anti-Obama ad.

Related posts:-
Sonora Tourism Ad Triggers Fresh Mexico-Arizona Dispute