Ljs: Pass notes 2,996: Cool Britannia

Monday, June 20, 2011

Pass notes 2,996: Cool Britannia

VisitBritain has hired some unlikely celebrities to front its new 'Britain: you're invited' campaign

Age: 15.

Appearance: Tony Blair in a union flag dress.

Cool Britannia as in the mid-90s national branding exercise? That's it.

The one that kicked off in 1996 with a cover story for Newsweek calling London the "coolest city on the planet"? Uh huh, although the article in question never actually used the phrase.

But we're talking Blair's arrival in Downing Street and Patsy Kensit and Liam Gallagher on the front page of Vanity Fair under the headline "London Swings! Again!", right? Right.

Back when our Beatles and Stones were Blur and Oasis? Yep.

The Cool Britannia we would associate with the names Hirst, Emin, Cocker, Spice and McQueen? That's it.

Didn't that peter out when we started bombing Iraq? It did a bit, yep. In fact, two years ago US journalist Stryker McGuire, the man responsible for that original Newsweek article, wrote that not only was Cool Britannia long dead but that the capital of cool was now unrecognisable.

Then why are we talking about it? Because they're trying to bring it back.

And who are "they", exactly? VisitBritain, of course, our friendly national tourist agency. It has launched a �100m celebrity-fronted ad campaign aiming to re-establish Britain as the epicentre of global cool and increase the flow of cash-toting holidaymakers from China and South America.

Aren't Gallagher et al a bit past it now? Of course. As with any good franchise reboot, there's a whole new gang to relay the message.

So who are these fresh ambassadors of cool? Alex Turner, Dizzee Rascal, MIA and Robert Pattinson? Not quite, no. It's Rupert Everett, Jamie Oliver, Judi Dench and Twiggy.

What?! Jamie Oliver's as edgy as jam. Maybe that's why the tagline is: "Britain: you're invited."

Because they've invited the least cool people ever to front the ads? Exactly.

Do say: "Britain: We'll text you the secret location on the night."

Don't say: "Britain: If your name's not down, you're not coming in."

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