Did Ellen really have an effect?

In March this year we trumpeted the visit of talk show host Ellen DeGeneres to our shores predicting increased tourism numbers and a successful launch of Australian vitamin brand Swisse in the US. But did it actually happen? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Nic Christensen investigates.

It was late March of this year when Australia caught a dose of what several media outlets took to calling “Ellen fever” – an unusual condition that supposedly saw thousands of people turn out to see American talk show queen Ellen DeGeneres in person, as she filmed segments around the country for her program.

Her brief, delayed visit – which hit a snag after she fell ill hours before she was due to fly to Australia –made headlines both here and in America with scores of column inches dedicated to the trip when it was announced with a similar audience reveal to Oprah Winfrey’s visit in 2010.

But four months on from the DeGeneres visit, what have been the tangible benefits for Australia as well as vitamin company Swisse that, together with Destination NSW and Qantas, footed the bill for the stunt?