Visit Denmark for its castles, Viking heritage, the Tivoli garden, Legoland, its offensive cartoons about Muslims and…its loose women. I probably had you until the last one, but it’s true: A Danish tourism agency is officially promoting the country with claims of sexy, blond single women who will have unprotected sex with you. If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself.
0xKaren26 – Karen in Denmark seeking August\’s father – (2009) (Denmark)‘ >div>
But watch out! When you take off the next morning without leaving your phone number and apparently your name, you’ll have no way of knowing if you knocked her up. Even so, you won’t have to worry because over a year later she’ll contact you with your adorable infant son sucking down a bottle in her arms. Email her, if you want, but she’s not asking anything of you. Karen, the beautiful blond, makes it clear that she’s no bimbo and she’s certainly no ho.
For any one who might actually believe Karen’s story, please, don’t be fooled. As it turns out, Karen is an actress who’s appeared here and here in other commercials.
Karen’s home video confessional went bananas on the net. “It is the most successful viral advertising ever. We have cut through the media clutter. It has cost us the same as a 30 second commercial, aired a few times on TV2” according to Peter Helstrup from the advertising agency that created the campaign.
When asked why the they decided on this promotion route, the CEO of VisitDenmark said the video was “good exposure for Danish self-sufficient and dignified women.”
The Karen video caught a second wind this week after the story went viral in Denmark several months ago. U.S. readers had a field day with comments. Person favorites include: “I wonder if she wants more kids?,” “THIS is why the TSA is trying to keep us from flying!” and “Why isn’t she breastfeeding? It is very irresponsible of them to promote formula.”
If not “come to our country, knock up our women and then leave,” then what is the Danish tourist board’s implication? Maybe their justification is that the economy has gone to shit so it’s time to pimp out their women for the sake of the homeland. Or perhaps something is culturally lost in translation. As adland.tv’s “Dabitch” puts so well, “Come to in Denmark.”