2018 / Video / Meta-advertising fake-out
Dundee
For two weeks, Australia pretended a Crocodile Dundee sequel was coming. The Super Bowl trailer’s punchline was that the movie was an ad.
The original is hosted off-site; this page provides context and a link to it.
What was this?
Danny McBride plays Brian Dundee as Chris Hemsworth guides him through outback-movie business until McBride stops the trailer: it is a tourism ad.
Why it spread
Teasers and entertainment coverage seeded the fake movie before the Super Bowl reveal made the advertising fake-out itself shareable.
What happened
Danny McBride plays Brian Dundee as Chris Hemsworth guides him through outback-movie business until McBride stops the trailer: it is a tourism ad.
Where it came from
Tourism Australia staged Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home as a fake-sequel campaign, then revealed its real product—visiting Australia—at the Super Bowl on February 5, 2018.
Why it mattered
It captured late-2010s advertising using franchise-hype machinery to make a commercial the internet could enjoy rather than skip.
How it spread
Teasers and entertainment coverage seeded the fake movie before the Super Bowl reveal made the advertising fake-out itself shareable.
Keep going
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