Beyond the Brief: How Richards Rose Let AC/DC’s Anthem Drive the Mitsubishi Outlander Story

For more than 45 years, Aussies have affectionately tweaked the lyrics to sing “it’s a long way to the shop (if you wanna sausage roll)”. That long-running cultural in-joke set the stage for Mitsubishi’s latest campaign for the new Outlander. In this edition of Beyond the Brief (and Bagpipes), Campaign Brief chats with Richards Rose Chief Creative Officer Adam Rose, Executive Creative Director Alex Stainton, and Art Director David Jones-Hawke to find out how they landed Angus Young’s blessing, captured the tone of a modern Aussie odyssey – and turned a humble snack into a standout piece of brand storytelling.

What was the initial brief from Mitsubishi and at what point did AC/DC and sausage rolls enter the chat?

Adam Rose: Quite early actually. After the success we had with Russell Coight and the Outlander PHEV we knew we wanted to play in a similarly remote environment, however the brief for the new car was to highlight its premium interior tech. The headline act is a Dynamic Yamaha sound system, so that got us thinking about music pretty quickly. This won’t be a surprise to anyone who’s been in my car, but we got as far as track one on my playlist.

Alex Stainton: AC/DC are as much a part of the Australian landscape as anything. Besides being an iconic anthem and road trip classic, what makes this track unique is that Aussies have been playfully changing the lyrics for generations. “It’s a long way to the top if you want a sausage roll” is as well-known as the original. We were jamming on the brief and the first time those words were spoken we all cracked up; we could see a quest on the horizon…

David Jones-Hawke: Comedy is one of the consistent threads in all our work for Mitsubishi, and this idea gave us a ready-made recipe. We had others, but this is the idea we couldn’t stop thinking about.

The campaign balances nostalgia, humour, and product storytelling. How did you ensure each element hit the right note without overwhelming the others?

Adam: It was definitely a balancing act, but given the iconic lyrics drive this story, we kind of wrote the script backwards. We knew how much time we needed to land the “sausage roll” line and allow for a moment of comedic tension before the bagpipes hit, so we reverse-engineered the story from there.

Alex: The best adventures are imperfect. Something goes wrong, the dog eats your lunch, the weather turns – but that’s where the memories and funny stories come from. Our characters had to go to some effort to get things back on track, so there’s a natural role for the product, but we were careful not to overcook it.

Dave: From the outset, we wanted the spot to be grounded in reality. We leaned into those relatable road trip moments most Aussies know: dogs clambering all over you in the back seat, Dad drumming on the steering wheel, and Mum keeping the peace up front. We wanted to tap into that shared nostalgia, yet set it in the plush, modern confines of the Outlander.

How challenging was it to secure rights to such an iconic Aussie anthem and what was it like getting Angus Young’s approval?

Adam: All the stars had to align, that’s for sure! AC/DC had never licensed an original track for an Aussie ad, so it was a long shot. But we loved the idea and hoped they’d see the humour in it – almost as a sign of respect. The key was getting our pitch in front of the band. Our Head of Production, the legendary Tanya Hairman, called Michael Szumouski at BigSync Music straight away. I’ve known Michael for 20 years and knew he used to work with Alberts, who managed AC/DC’s catalogue back in the day. Luckily, he’s still well connected and got our work in front of Angus while the band was touring the States. I’ll never forget the moment we got the call to say as long as Angus had final edit approval, he was in. Ironically I was walking into a Pilates class, and for the next 45 minutes kept laughing to myself that this was about the most un-rock’n’roll thing I could be doing!

Dave: I’m also very rock ‘n’ roll: I was watching Frozen with my daughter for the 48th time when Rosey called to say Angus had given it his nod of approval. It was one of those real pinch-yourself moments.

Alex: Tanya was amazing. Rockstar. And it’s also worth a mention that we’d just shared final onlines with AC/DC when they announced their Australian tour. I’m not going to say we made that happen, but I’ll certainly imply it.

There’s something distinctly Australian about the journey. How important was the landscape and tone in making it feel like a proper ‘road trip’ ad, not just a car spot?

Adam: Firstly, we wanted to find a location that felt iconically Aussie without it being obvious where we were – a sort of mythical place that all Aussie’s can relate to. It obviously had to convey ‘a long way’.

Dave: The length of the trip is never quite clear, and that was always the idea. We wanted somewhere vast to show off the Outlander’s capability. To Rosey’s point, they’re travelling a bloody long way for lunch. We wanted to capture the sheer scale of the Australian landscape, while retaining the rugged beauty of the journey.

Alex: Out the back of Cooma, in New South Wales is absolutely beautiful in winter, so long as you’re not standing in a field for 12-hours a day. It snowed the week after we left.

The Outlander is described as “a bit rock ‘n’ roll”. How did that vibe influence the tone, casting and overall look of the spot?

Adam: Yeah, with all its luxury and tech, the Outlander is a PHEV that can go a long way in style – which in itself is ‘a bit rock ’n’ roll’. But it was really key that some of that effortless swagger extended to the family. We needed to unearth some characters.

Alex: That’s right. We wanted to keep things understated (after all, it’s only a BIT rock ‘n’ roll) but our cast needed some character and confidence – perhaps even a wicked little mullet. In this story, it’s Dad who drives the action, so his self-contained, self-assured vibe was key.

Dave: The same extended to the rest of the cast; the tough-looking bikies (who were all real by the way) and the classic old lady in ‘The Shop’. The song is about how tough life is on the road – it’s harder than it looks – so the cast and the environment needed a bit of a hard edge.

What made Ariel Martin and the Scoundrel team the right partners to bring this creative vision to life?

Adam: Having worked with Ariel before, I knew how deeply he invests from treatment through to post. He always brings a clear vision but is relaxed and collaborative, which is really important to us. But it was his genuine understanding of ‘Australiana’ that was the drawcard for this job – he genuinely made it better. As for Scoundrel, they’re absolute pros and I can’t thank them, and the team they assembled, enough for what they delivered.

Alex: Ariel’s treatment was superb and the locations and cast he served up were perfect.

Dave: We loved Ariel’s strong belief that we had to build ‘The Shop’ for real. Somewhere that’s instantly relatable, yet deliberately vague in terms of location.
A place none of us have actually been to, but somehow feels familiar. Ariel, Scoundrel, and the production design team did an epic job bringing our vision to life.

It’s Mitsubishi’s 45th year in Australia. How did that milestone factor into the scale, tone or ambition of the campaign?

Dave: Go big or go home. For such a significant milestone we needed to crank it up to eleven. It certainly factored into the ambition and scale of it all.

Adam: It was a big factor. Whilst the brief was obviously to promote a new car, we also needed to land Mitsubishi’s strong connection to Australia. And hats off to them for continuing to support and invest in big ideas. With Outlander PHEV being Mitsubishi’s flagship model, they saw this campaign as an opportunity to create a halo effect for the Masterbrand.

Alex: Mitsubishis have been rolling around Australia with AC/DC on the radio for 45 years and neither is showing any sign of stopping!

How do you hope this campaign lands with Aussies families watching at home?

Adam: At Richards Rose we aim for ideas that ‘move the many’ and this one seems to be doing that. The response has been super positive and we’re so appreciative of those who’ve contacted us to say how much they enjoy it. Being a cultural in-joke that’s been sung by Aussies for more than 45 years, you can see it’s definitely striking a chord with a wide audience.

Alex: While casting and making this, it was clear that there’s a new generation of AC/DC fans out there. Hopefully they’re rocking out on their bagpipes and hitting up mum and dad for a new Outlander.

Dave: We want people to recognise a bit of themselves in it. It connects with something we all share, a song everyone knows and loves. Our goal was simple: when people hear it and watch, we want them to turn it up, nod along and have a laugh. And from what we’re hearing, that’s exactly what’s happening.

And finally, how many sausage rolls were harmed during the making of this ad?

Adam: Not as many as we’d have liked – they were surprisingly scarce on the shoot. But since launch, we have heard reports of a spike in sausage roll sales across the country, so we’re quietly hopeful of snagging an Effie for that.

Client: Mitsubishi Motors Australia
Chief Executive Officer: Shaun Westcott
Chief Operating Officer: Rob Nazzari
General Manager, Marketing & Corporate Affairs: Sam Wight
Group Marketing Manager – Marketing & Corporate Affairs: Amy Hooper
Marketing Manager – Brand Marketing & Corporate Affairs: Julia Turner

Agency: Richards Rose
Chief Creative Officer: Adam Rose
Executive Creative Director: Alex Stainton
Art Director: David Jones-Hawke
Head of Production: Tanya Hairman
Chief Executive Officer: Digby Richards
Head of Strategy: Joseph Smeaton
Head of Account Management: Kristen Sandberg
Senior Account Manager: Mahoko Waga
Studio Manager: Alistair Donald

Production Company: Scoundrel
Director: Ariel Martin
Executive Producer: Kate Gooden
Producer: Alex Tizzard
DOP: Sam Chiplin
1st AD: Adam Wareham
Editor: Phoebe Taylor
Post-Production: ARC
Music Supervision: Michael Szumowski, Big Sync Music
Sound Design: Simon Kane, MassiveMusic
Photographer: Janyon Boshoff
Media: Wavemaker Adelaide