In Vienna, they came up with a super campaign to promote the city, exploiting negative reviews

It can hardly be said that theVienna Tourist Board lacks creativity. In late 2017, the Vienna Tourist Board had launched a brilliant advertising campaign to promote Egon Schiele ’s works in the city’s museums by exploiting the censorship imposed by the London Underground on the great expressionist’s nudes. This year, the institution has launched an extraordinary new campaign, Unrating Vienna, all based on the... negative reviews left by disgruntled tourists of Vienna on major portals.

The concept behind the campaign is based on the fact that it is up to the individual to decide what he or she likes or dislikes. “In the campaign,” emphasized Norbert Kettner, director of the Vienna Tourist Board, “we cast a humorous glance at online reviews, which are not always the correct way to look for a destination where you can relax and enjoy yourself. We want people to think about and initiate a broad public discussion. We don’t lift a finger against advances in technology that are supposed to make our lives easier: and indeed online reviews are a great tool that we ourselves use in our marketing activities as a tourism destination. However, we see digitization more as a cultural tool that people should take advantage of, and not as the end toward which we strive.”

And so here are the posters imagined for the campaign: a romantic outing on the Danube flanked by a review calling it “boring,” a photo of Schoenbrunn Park with its lawn described as “messy,” pictures of the Prater with a review from those who consider it “garbage,” a tourist complaining about the lack of takeaway coffee, and phrases from those who call the paintings in the Leopold Museum “disgusting.” All of this is accompanied by a provocative motto, “So, who decides what you like?” which directly addresses the observer to call on him to actively reflect on his choices.

According to the Vienna Tourist Board, 95 percent of those planning a vacation read at least seven reviews before booking, but the point is that reviews are very subjective: consider that 47 percent of users are skeptical if they find only positive reviews, and that one study revealed how 20 percent of reviews on a popular site like Yelp are bogus. According to the Office of Tourism, “the best moments may not always receive a rating,” and everyone experiences something in their own way. The invitation, therefore, is to discover Vienna without being influenced. For those who want to learn more, the Unrating Vienna campaign has its own website.

In Vienna, they came up with a super campaign to promote the city, exploiting negative reviews

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