New TV Ad to Promote Israeli Tourism

Has anyone seen it? I was not able to locate it on YouTube, but it aired on FOX at 12:30pm today (target audience: rich housewives?)

I hate to criticize Israel because it is my first love (okay, not counting family + future husband), but I was not a fan of this ad.

The commercial starts with a pair of tourists (a couple) who are trying to find their way and two Israeli women walk by quickly, say shalom and give a wide gesture toward the building behind them (the Knesset, Israeli parliament, perhaps). The couple continues along their way and is greeted with "Shalom" by: an art gallery owner who brings them inside, a gardener guy who turns off the sprinkler for them to pass, a dude reading the newspaper in the Dead Sea and perhaps a couple more. Everyone is super-friendly (which is not an exaggeration, I should mention). Toward the end, the couple embraces as they look at the view of the Old City. Definitely cheesy, but I suppose it could be an effective draw.

In general, the commercial shows a variety of scenes from Israel, but basically, it's a perfectly typical, boring, happy-go-lucky couple traipsing through Israel wearing button-down shirts and puppy-dog eyes. Its concept completely strays from a former commercial that had hot babes in bikinis. (I really wish I could have found this one on YouTube. You would enjoy it!) A happy medium could have been reached -- that is, between showing the normal tourist experience and having a little sexiness there, too!

However, the worst part was at the end, when the speaker said "Israel" and it sounded like "isz-RAAAIIIIL." Oy vey! Way to have a spokesperson who can't even say the name of the country correctly! Why not choose a Jewish or Israeli voiceover artist (or at least someone who can fake it!)? I actually know two! This is an abomination! How can you have an ad for your country when the name of the country is pronounced wrong!?!