Vegemite launches first new campaign in 6 years with ‘Tastes like Australia’ ad blitz via Thinkerbell
What do Pauline Hanson, The Big Prawn and Rebel Wilson have in common? Well – more than just being Australian. They all give you a taste of what Australianism really is; a little weird, a whole lot wonderful, and ultimately truly unique…much like the iconic and unmistakable taste of Vegemite.
Vegemite has become a symbol of our national identity and in a new campaign, celebrates Australia’s diversity and unity through a mega-mix of iconic faces and moments. It playfully highlights all the weird and wonderful moments that have defined Australia through history.
Today the iconic brand launches its new ‘Tastes Like Australia’ campaign – a first in six years. The campaign is a clear departure for the Vegemite brand and is the work of creative agency, Thinkerbell, who won the Bega account last year.
The ‘Tastes Like Australia’ campaign celebrates and embraces every part of Australia. An aim of the creative is to start a national conversation reflecting on what Australia means and tastes like.
Adam Ferrier, co-founder, Chief Thinker and Consumer Psychologist at Thinkerbell believes the creative behind the campaign will prompt Aussies to think about what Australia means to them. Does it taste like Pauline Hanson? An Aussie winning the most prestigious international cycling race? Crocodiles, sunny beaches, 12 (8) apostles or Skippy hitting the drums?
“The ‘Tastes Like Australia’ campaign is topical, thought provoking and aims to promote a discussion about national pride, difference and unity. And while the intent of the campaign is clear, a true celebration and embrace of our unique nation and Vegemite, there is no doubt the interpretation of the
creative elements, could spark some heated discussions.
“We live in a place full of beauty and prosper but when you think about it – it’s pretty quirky: supersized prawns and bananas, an intriguing and dynamic political environment, and the love of an underdog. These are all uniquely Australian… just like Vegemite.”
Says Jim Ingram, co-founder ECD of
Thinkerbell: “It’s really about creating a parallel of distinct, memorable and iconic moments throughout Australian history against the backdrop of Vegemite. We hope the ad will elevate a
discussion about Australianism and to be honest – it is all a bit of fun. When we became custodians of the iconic Vegemite brand, we knew we needed to handle it with care – along with the entire
Bega portfolio. Through ‘Tastes Like Australia’, we hope we’ve done Vegemite and Australians proud by representing everything that makes up this great country!”
The full 60-second ‘Tastes Like Australia’ commercial opens with Pauline Hanson’s iconic “Please explain”, before montaging a raft of Aussie talent, icons, and historical moments together; from Bradbury’s memorable gold medal Olympic victory, Julia Gillard becoming the first female Prime Minister, to a platypus, the Big Prawn and Rebel Wilson.
Distinctive ‘Tastes Like Australia’ billboards will also begin to pop up throughout the nation – bold yellow signs, red Vegemite diamonds and refined copy alluding to unique Australian events, places, and things… surfers punching sharks in comps, Aussies taking ‘speccies’, abbreviatin’ everythin’, taking a day off for a horse race, and marrying into European Royalty.
The campaign will launch with a 60 and 30-second edit and will feature across multiple platforms including its own interactive microsite. The media mix spans traditional TV, cinema and outdoor as well as digital to ensure it reaches all Australians. The ‘Tastes Like Australia’ site also allows users to watch the commercial and actually navigate through each clip, talent and location to learn about its place in history.
Vegemite’s own history was redefined last year, as it was bought back under Australian ownership by Bega Cheese Limited; a moment, the brand continues to celebrate. This milestone, the business believes, created a licence to truly talk to Vegemite alongside other great Australian moments. “For nearly a century Vegemite has been a part of Australia – whether it be spread on toast, in a sandwich, sent off to troops or simply within arm’s reach in the pantry. Vegemite is uniquely Aussie and that’s one of the things we absolutely love about it,” says Vegemite marketing manager Matt Gray.
“However, there’s a huge opportunity to spread the love of Vegemite wider, with over a third of Australians now born overseas. It’s important we recognise that Australia is a young, diverse and multi-cultured country with a significant proportion of Aussies not having grown up on the iconic spread. This insight alone paves the way for new thinking in marketing Vegemite and our other brands.
“The changing face of Australia is part of what makes our nation great, and we want to be in the homes of all Aussies, new and old. Through this campaign, we want to cement our place back on Australian kitchen tables and ensure we remain as iconic as ever. We see it as our responsibility to create new connections and moments in time between Vegemite, and all members of this great nation!”
Vegemite over the course of the last 95 years have created many iconic and memorable commercials, none more so than the advertisement with the jingle, ‘Happy Little Vegemites’. While many Australians didn’t grow up knowing this jingle these days, the inclusion of the iconic tune a nod to the brands heritage and a great reminder of the role Vegemite has played in the homes of Aussies for generations.
Adds Gray: “It’s relevant, it’s fun and highly distinctive. But more than anything, it’s ultimately a toast to this great nation and a spread that well and truly deserves its place in the pantry as a true, Australian icon.”
The ‘Taste Like Australia’ campaign goes live to Vegemite Facebook Fans today (1st August), to air in cinemas August 2 and will be broadcast on television for the first time, Sunday evening: August 5.
109 Comments
This is solid advertising. It’s interesting, arresting, and speaks to the product.
Not outputting at 1:1 for Instagram and cropping the edges. Sloppy.
I think you posted the clients hype reel instead of the commercial.
I always suspected Adam Ferrier was the missing Wiggle.
Please explain how this piece of shit managed to get through?
Thinkerbell should have thought a bit more I reckon.
Great use of the yellow and logo shape.
Great link with unique taste and uniqueness of Australia.
It works for me because it confirms and celebrates everything I already believe.
How long before this is on Brown Cardigan?
Looks like a pitch ad for Gruen.
Australians arent like this anymore.
It’s about time vegemite had a nice ad. Its been a long time.
Bit stinky if you ask me.
this is great. a modern and fun look at australia, perfectly suited to a brand like vegemite. shit you lot are a hard bunch to please, this is very good and i laughed out loud at skippy and the drop bear. good job Tinkerbell.
It’s not easy to sum Australia up in 60seconds. This does a pretty good job. The people will like it.
How hackneyed. Every fucking cliche in the book.
Trying far too hard.
It’s great to see some Aussie sense of humour back especially for a big brand. Bloody oath!
Anyone who says this is cliched is off their tree. Love this.
Pause on this during player:
https://tasteslikeaustralia.com.au/
A bunch of racist, stupid thugs.
Thats not my Australia. This is beyond terrible. Its actually offensive.
Pauline Hanson as an opener? What is wrong with you
summed up in 60 seconds but racist from the start.
the 90’s would like their cliches back please…if you think this is hilarious you need ‘hack’ tattooed on your forehead, do it over the existing ‘dickhead’ one.
Cliche, expected and draws on every stereotype that we have been trying to get away from for years.
It’s stuff like this that makes people think that ‘Bart Vs Australia’ was accurate.
Where’s Neville? Where are ya Nev?
This is unreal, as in Australian for good. To do a whole ad on tastes like australia and make it feel contemporary and progressive yet quintessentially australian – that’s tough. It’s bloody great.
Tastes like punching a shark in the face – that’s funny.
This is very good.
Embarrassing. I wouldn’t like the world to think of Australia like this.
Essentially a segment from ’20 to 1′ with a vegemite logo slapped over it. Cool.
Chicko Roll, 1300 Cabs, this.
Mo and Jo want their ad back.
This is cracking stuff. Using Pauline Hanson is a great circuit breaker gets attention and talks product out the whiskers. Its good.
Calling it. And I’m really old.
I think this is the first ad that has made me cringe so hard that I had to pause the and and take a deep breath before I could resume watching the car crash
Ever travelled?
Generally…
We are fucking cringeworthy
We are racist
We cheat at cricket
We speak like peasants
We dress like shit
Our architecture looks like rubbish
Do I need to go on?
Not sure it needs to go in an ad but hey, the truth hurts sometimes.
Dear me.
The Thinkerbell creative leaders are really missing a parent figure who can make their ideas better or stop them rushing into silly mistakes. Their work without McGrath and Cummins looking over their shoulder is truly dreadful.
This is rotten.
This ad was clearly not aimed at inner Melbourne’s creative award scene… Probably the reason it will actually work. Love it and so will the rest of Australia.
short version – bogans love shitty retail ads. #fakenews
I like it.
Well done Thinkerbell & co, now go a get a dog up ya cos I reckon you’ve earnt it.
Peace out.
Creative strategy gets a tick.
Execution tastes like a dog turd.
Did Vegemite have to get approval from Pauline Hanson, Rebel Wilson, Tony Abbott, Julia Gillard, John Howard etc…?
Anyway, it’s a bit of fun.
Getting your entire agency (and parents) to comment on your ad will not make it better.
For the industry. For Australia. For Thinkerbell.
The line is fine, but the execution stinks.
If this is what Thinkerbell stands for, allow me to please back away as fast as I can.
Great ad guys. Ignore the haters, especially those who can’t put a name to their comments.
Won’t comment on the TV coz I haven’t watched it on my phone, but the print is good old-fashioned headline-driven campaign advertising that anyone with a bit of wit can add to and the art direction is bang-on because it could only be for one brand. Big tick from me.
It’s the same film they made for Chicko Roll at Cummins.
is it one of the boys doing this?
Well its certainly polarising isn’t it? People are either hating this or loving it. Bit like Vegemite.
I’ve watched the TV spot now. Not a fan.
For the industry. For Australia. For Thinkerbell.
The line is fine, but the execution stinks.
If this is what Thinkerbell stands for, allow me to please back away as fast as I can.
Good, bad, whatever. It’s got people talking. In my books, that’s step 1 for a campaign. I happen to like it – the ad gave me a little smile (similar in size to the amount of vegemite you’d spread on buttered toast), and there’s a bit of charm in there. Just wish there was a call back to us being happy little vegemites, too.
This has me turning in my grave.
…even just a little, to people like Pauline Hanson and Chopper Read, disgusts me. That you are using them in a way that suggests they are iconic Australian things (like Vegemite) sullies the very product you’re selling. There are lots of things you could do that will work… but some things you shouldn’t. You should have been better than this.
Love it – it’s really confronting and talkable and there is an idea in it that’s rock solid. I sincerely love it.
Definitely reminds me of the latter part of the 80s.
What’s with Thinkerbell pumping out dated, out-of-touch 90’s-vibe creative?
People aren’t talking about it. 50 ad people (most from Tinkerbell by the look of it) are talking about it on an ad blog, mostly because it’s shit. Don’t confuse CampaignBrief with the world. They are very different places.
I can’t believe a client approved these. Celebrating racists. Great. And the production values. What have we become as an industry?
Vomit in my mouth.
Someone in 1988 wants their Tourism sizzle reel back.
Tastes like Australia is a nice start. But wouldn’t it have been better to push this idea further? Maybe not.
How do seemingly competent people at their jobs make this, and then, look at it and go ‘yeah, this is good enough to go out into the world’.
Wtf has happened to creativity in Australia. This genuinely makes me embarrassed to work in this industry.
We haven’t heard the end of this one. This trite little blog full of spite will have to eat their words as this platform and idea works its little nuts off. Congratulations to all of those involved. this is brilliant and simple advertising that will work for the people.
Seriously good.
You are clearly a junior or worse, work for stinkerbell, this work is garbage.
You would expect better from the senior people involved, but then again they seem to spit out the same creative over and over again, chicko roll, 1300 cabs etc.
Russell must be thinking, WTF have we invested in.
Now get back to your EDM that is needed in the morning.
I saw this ad on Instagram, great comments from the people who love and buy the product. I suppose they are the ones who matter most. It seems to me that the haters are bitter advertising people who write banner ads for silly clients who know one cares about.
We are totally cool with vegemite tasting white…right?
I dig the outdoor (particularly if for an overseas market) but that social video is cringe.
Not a complete hater – but just think if something is truly to be edgy or actually representative….it would be more than this. If Australia tastes like the video…it’s bland AF.
All about the diversity guys….don’t be afraid of it.
X
I’m joining the love camp. This is unreal.
Tikki, toss off somewhere else.
Good god, this is rubbish.
Sadly, she’s the worst creative I’ve ever worked for.
The taste from down under?
This is very very good. The fact that it doesn’t look like a finished commercial has thrown a lot of you.
If I was their client ifd be thinking sales, clear brand building, promotion.
If I was a consumer I’d be thinking this is a lot of fun (have a look on facebook they love it).
It’s very good.
Was fed the ad on Instagram. And the overall comments were pretty much aligned to the majority on this thread. “Cringe-fest”, “racist” and “I don’t want to be Australian anymore” pretty much sums it up.
Even the consumers think this is as much of a stinker as a jar of expired vegemite.
Wow! So much commentary for this campaign, that’s brilliant. It’s wonderful you all care so much. For anyone who’d like to let me know personally what they think, here’s my email:
jim@thinkerbell.com
Would be happy to engage with you. Have a great day. Jim.
Love the line, not sure about the rest, but the line is a cracker.
Dunno if looking back is the best way to go. The whole thing reeks of the cringey elements of Australia we’re trying to leave behind. Look forward, not back.
The outdoor stuff is nice. The video… not so much.
No doubt the proletariat will eat it up.
So I can go back to before I’d watched this.
What a BS compilation of racism and regressive stereotypes.
Is this ad for Australia or selling Vegemite outside Australia.
Droga did it better.
V true. When the standard is set (by Droga in particular), pay attention. Either beat it or leave it alone.
3rd of Australians born overseas yet all the unique Australian moments feature white Anglo Australians
utterly reprehensible. disgusting
I’m a senior creative in a good agency in Sydney and I’ve watched this thread unfold and I have never been more embarrassed to be a creative (well nearly) I really hope all the comments are from one vitriolic dick.
They probably are.
The weird ones are the ones trying to say it’s racist or overly Anglo. With chooky dancers Kamal Poe and so on it feels quite the opposite if anything it’s virtue signalling and overly inclusive
The comments on this thread make me genuinely embarrassed.
And the ad will work it’s arse off. It’s great.
Like the product this spot is flogging, this spot stinks. The mess it’s leaving behind will be difficult to wash away too. The territory is rich as is the no brainer insight…. The execution however is shithouse and although this appears to be a deliberate attempt to pluck the low hanging nostalgic fruit in us all, it just falls flat. I’m sure it worked better as a storyboard…. Pity. We’ll all now be subjected to rubbish cut-downs, pre-rolls and TV billboards until at least AFL final time. (Shudder).
love it. congrats all.
Hi PWC,
Regretting your decision yet?
This is really embarrassing ….
You’ve kept all the comments written by Thinkerbell. Should be fair play.
If I were to give this a working title it would be ‘Make Australian Great Again.’
Why? Because just as his campaign plays on rose-colored (or should I say ‘white’) nostalgia, so does this.
Pauline Hanson isn’t funny. She is a down and out racist idiot that should never be given a platform of any sort.
But you’ve chosen to do so to ‘start a conversation’ and be poloarizing like the product.
Many other ways to do that than to give this pathetic excuse for a human more celebrity status.
But hey, let’s all just embrace our differences. Even those that are dangerously stupid, because ‘straya!
The lamb guys do it much, much better.
And to all those who say ‘the punters will love it’, stop being so condescending.
There are just as many punters out there who are more informed than you about communication as there are less informed.
They will love it and hate it just as much as the people on here do.
Ya’ll take yourselves too seriously. This isn’t supposed to be art. This is supposed to be something that the everyday punter sees and smiles at. That smile is supposed to make them prefer you when it comes to picking you off the shelf.
This will work.
I too like this work. It’s excellent in a very unusual way.
The negative commentator seems pretty angry and is outing themselves with every additional comment they make – including reacting to this one no doubt.
I like the outdoor work.
The video is daggy. Feels cheap and overstays its welcome at 60 seconds.
Panic stations at Hardware Lane. Spot the Thinkerbell intern-written posts. (Hint: a giveaway is anything that reads “this will work”…
It’s just like Vegemite, polarising. You either love it or you hate it (which is identified in the quality of this thread).
GREAT STUFF!
Lol, a lot less comments than there were yesterday. Wonder where they went? Must be a bug or something.
Love it.
And we wonder why so many young Australians run away from this country.
Vegemite should be ashamed. Talking to the people who make this great country suck and stay firmly routed in the past.
Thinkerbell should be ashamed. For the actual execution and also for convincing a brand that could push things forward to go back to the past and celebrate an Australia that needs to die.
Looks like something Dick Smith would have come up with.
Still, better effort than the 13 cabs crap, so no nail in the coffin just yet for stinkerbell.
Wow 86 comments. Most drivel. This is unusual yes. But in its own way excellent.
Love this. Makes me proud to be an Aussie. Anglo’s are what made this country great. Sick of all this white-hating in here.
That Thinkerbell and PWC are both on the offensive claiming the comments here are mean and unfair. Shifting to a ‘victim’ strategy is pretty pathetic – they’ve always been quite happy to dole out criticism, but can’t hack it now? If your work is shit, people will tell you. If you can’t hack the truth, you’re in the wrong business, people.
God this stinks
Let’s face it. Kraft is an American company.
This ad is about as Australian as Vegemite is.
I love it?
Completely agree. I’ve never seen an Agency be so defensive about the criticism they’re receiving on this platform. Were they expecting universal praise? A pat on the back? None of the above comments are especially cutting, personal or crossing any lines. They are the opinions of their peers. You make your bed, you lie in it.
Hey fuckos
It’s a great ad. The fact many of you cannot see that says more, so much more about you than the campaign.
Professor ritson
Ritson spoils the party again with his “look at me I’m over here” bullshit.
Hey really is a professor ya’know…
https://au.linkedin.com/in/markritson
Packshot
The ad is fine. Bit first-base thinking, but it is OK. Not going to bother any Cannes juries, but neither is it shit-house or offensive.
Shouldn’t everyone juts calm down a bit? The comments here are vitriolic, nasty and bitchy.
It is just a new TV ad for a veggie spread. Australia hasn’t just invaded Indonesia. Maybe some perspective would be welcome?
Strewth, I thought yous cunts where channeling me from the 80’s, job done.
Just like the garbage we trotted out then, this is just embarrassing…Russell your thoughts, bad call?
I dig it.
It’s getting weird but I love it
I would say this looks like something that would be presented at AWARD school, but that would be an insult to AWARD school.
As long as the Client didn’t pay more than 50K for this rubbish, then no harm, no foul.
My favourite breakfast spread no more. #notmyaustralia
those print adds look great absolutely fantastic but the tv spot is as crap as Americans think vegemite is disgusting
https://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/96203/Vegemite-Shark
Great ad. Disasterous gramma.
Thank you to everyone who helped or encouraged me to make this website. I hope it helped your computer problems.
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