AUSTRALIAN LAMB SATIRISES “UN-AUSTRALIAN” IN LATEST SUMMER CAMPAIGN VIA THE MONKEYS TO BRING AUSSIES TOGETHER
Australian Lamb is back with the annual summer campaign, mocking the overuse of the term “Un-Australian” to remind Aussies that our collective differences are cause for celebration, not division. In true Aussie Lamb style the hotly anticipated spot, created by The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, for Meat & Livestock Australia, features topical jokes, a heavy dose of satire and of course, mouth-watering lamb.
The long form commercial, directed by Yianni Warnock from MOFA, imagines an alternative reality which sees people being called out for being “Un-Australian” before being banished to “Un-Australia” – an infinite cultural exile.
In the lifeless desert, we meet Aussies who’ve committed offences from switching off the test cricket, eating a meat pie with a knife and fork, to not knowing the second verse to Khe Sanh. When Lambassador Sam Kekovich appears in a cloud of smoke, alongside a sizzling BBQ and perfectly searing lamb, it’s clear all this “Un-Australian” accusing has gone too far.
Says Graeme Yardy, Domestic Market Manager at MLA: “The use of “Un-Australian” has got out of control, everything from putting onions on your sausage sizzle to having a wedding on Grand Final day is on the chopping block. Chances are you’ll be viewed as “Un-Australian” by someone! What makes Australia great is that we celebrate our differences. Lamb is famous for bringing Aussies together, so what better way to cut through this division and help us come together over these collective differences than with a good lamb BBQ.”
Adds Scott Dettrick, Creative Director at The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song: “We’re in an uncertain time where people are struggling to define what it means to be Australian but, ironically, some find it very easy to define what is Un-Australian. Our campaign explores how we can rethink what it really means to be a modern Australian and, with the help of a Lamb BBQ, come back together as a nation.”
The full-length spot premieres today during the tea break on Day Two of the Australia vs. South Africa Cricket Test through a Channel Seven partnership, followed by free to air and subscription TV nationally. It will be pushed out across digital, social media and retail OOH channels by UM, with One Green Bean driving reach for the campaign across earned media and owned social. This will also be supported through key retail and Foodservice partners.
Creative Agency – The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song
Group Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder: Scott Nowell
Chief Creative Officer: Tara Ford
Creative Director: Scott Dettrick
Head of Innovation: Beth O’Brien
Creative team: Emmalie Narathipakorn and Seamus McAlary
Head of Production: Penny Brown
Post Producer: Elliot Liebermann
Production Coordinator: Emily Coleman
Group CEO and Co-Founder: Mark Green
Managing Director: Matt Michael
Business Strategy Director: Kit Lansdell
Head of Business Management: Topher Jones
Group Business Director: Andy Holmes
Senior Business Manager: Mitchell Bevan
Production Company: MOFA
Director: Yianni Warnock
Executive Producer: Claire Thompson
DoP: Lachlan Milne
Production Design: Sam Lukins
Casting: Citizen Jane
Edit House: Arc Edit
Editor: Phoebe Taylor
Post Executive Producer: Daniel Fry
VFX: Arc – Patrick Campbell, Ian Lewis, Richard Lambert, Chris Betteridge
Colourist: Trish Cahill
Music & Sound: MassiveMusic
Composer: Haydn Walker
Sound Designer: Simon Kane
Producer: Katrina Aquilia
Media Agency – UM
Matt Furlong – Head of Strategy, Sydney
Peter Stewart – Group Director
Laura Ellis – Senior Client Director
Amy Cummings – Senior Creative Connections Director
Callum Wells – Planning Director
Tom Carlon – Trading Director
Michelle Andrews – Senior Planning Manager
Cayley McArthur – Strategist
PR Agency – One Green Bean
Executive Director – Lauren Bailey
Head of Content – Laura Byrne
Business Director – Kirsty McGorty
Account Director – Molly Dodwell
Senior Project Manager – Amy McCann
Senior Account Manager – Natasha Esson
Project Manager – Ruby McCann
Project Executive – Indiah Clarke
Client – Meat & Livestock Australia
General Manager – Marketing and Insights: Nathan Low
Domestic Market Manager: Graeme Yardy
Brand Manager: Derek Lau
69 Comments
The best lamb ad ever made. Whilst some agencies are bringing out beers for dogs, others are making this.
Misses DK’s writing.
those are the worst special effects ever seen.
Well done to all the Monkeys.
Special mention to Scotty ‘do’ Dettrick who does it constantly.
Come on Nowell & Green, give him the credit he deserves and finally promote the man.
Lovely, again
I thought lamb ads were supposed to be funny.
Time for a complete rethink. No question the MLA ad had been a big moment for the indrustry around Australia Day exact year but the biggest failing, especially in the last 5-6 years is that no regular punter has ever thought about ‘lamb bringing people together’. What’s un-Australian is not accepting the huge amount of meat eaters that are happy to cut down their meat consumption and those that are vegetarian and pescatarian. Yawn.
Looks like they went with the offline VFX
Way too long.
Call me unaustralian but I reckon that’s pretty ordinary. Writing lacks the craft and insight of years gone by. Sorry
What happened guys? Feels like you’ve given up.
No wonder it’s sooooooooo overcooked.
To bag this is very unAustralian.
I just watched a 3+ minute ad and genuinely enjoyed it. Man, we really are becoming a bunch of humourless twats on here.
I predict that, based on last years showing from us all, that will probably be in the top 15 things I enjoy from the AU ad industry this year
This breaks the logic of years of lamb ads.
There’s nothing more Australian than lamb on Australia day
really doesn’t chime with
There’s nothing more Australian than being unAustralian.
Based on the above, people should not eat lamb this Australia Day.
To move on.
I liked it, and the VFX were clean. And I know VFX.
I’d say some of the big boys are a little annoyed that the offline house did all the post, and did it well.
Worried? Looks like you are. Your bitter is showing.
Well done Yianni, The Monkeys and Arc.
Another memorable Lamb spot for Aussies.
Bloody great. Bravo Yianni!
Also lovely cut Phoebe!
Best ad this year and good enough to bring home agency of the year with just this one ad. Absolutely nailed it. This will absolutely get people talking and actually remember what they just watched.
Enjoy the free PR that will undoubtedly be coming your way this morning.
Have you seen the cost of lamb these days?
Lamb.
Bout time Yianni got a big script… well done, son.
“go, the all blacks”.
So damn good.
An ad that doesn’t feel like an ad… Well done 🙂
Agree. This is the best ad since January 1st.
There are some great performances and gags in this but I can’t get over the fact that it doesn’t flipping make sense. As a previous commenter mentioned, after decades of lamb being the ultimate totem of Australianess… to now have it served in Un-Australia is confusing. No punter will get that it is about celebrating our differences. Now if the spot was about people who are already exiled in Un-Australia trying to make reparations so that they can make it to ‘Australia’ so they can eat lamb I can play along. The Monkey’s premise is really funny but i think everyone got too close to it and didn’t step back and work out if it actually makes sense… and yes, I get that it is an ad.
It must be hard coming up with a new advertising rendition each year given the high standards set in bygone years. I’m so pleased MLA doesn’t listen to the naysayers and continues to produce iconic work like this. Even in the face of Australia Day going out of fashion.
You clearly don’t know VFX if you think this is good work
The only reason to buy lamb is it’s generally cheaper than beef. Which never was the case 30 years ago.
It’s always entertaining to read negative comments when a new piece of work comes out as you know the people writing them are taking a break from crafting their latest Harvey Norman banner ad, shaking their fists angrily in the air as they sob into their instant coffee while channelling Marlon Brando from On The Waterfront – “I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody.” Well done to The Monkeys and all involved.
The ad was super funny and this was the icing on top! Thanks. Summed up CB.
Yeah I just took a break from my Harvey Norman banner and instant coffee to say whether or not you were involved in this ad, you really come across as arrogant. Honestly, if you have that opinion about yourself and your ads, you are beyond reproach.
Really felt like they wanted to shoehorn the unaustralian line gags in with a big gathering bbq bs ending and it just makes no sense whatsoever.
As someone said above. Don’t eat lamb it’s unaustralian.
Not really surprised though, lame dialogue quips with some vague excuse for a crowd at the end. Send it to a prod co that wants to foot the bill. Done.
Kudos to monkeys and MLA for doing it for another year. Great to see investment into long form stuff. But this year is a little confusing. Compare it to previous spots
lamb brings all the gods together = simple
lamb brings aussies & kiwis together = simple
lamb brings aussies divided by border closures together = simple.
so is this one is…
lamb brings aussies which are deemed unastralia together because in the end we’re all un-australian?
not being neg for the sake of it – even Harvey Nichols have some outliers.
Hell yeah Yianni, smashed it! This was actually funny and the concept is clear and executed well.
Go Yianni 🔥
I like it. It’s fresh, self deprecating, funny and incredibly un-Australian. Well done all involved.
Enjoyed it. So many Un-Australian comments in here… But now I’m wondering if the point of this ad is to be Un-Australian???
Reckon the price of lamb might come down if we dropped the annual lamb ad budget? Lambflation is real and I can’t afford to put it in my acai bowl any longer.
Lamb in an acai bowl…?
It’t good. Vfx are fine. I’d say that vfx company being negative is probably, un Australian. Well done Arc.
Saying ” i know vfx” on this blog should send you to CB exile.
Can we not move beyond blokey pies and charging for tommy sauce jokes?
Another overcooked 3min long script in an industry that only rewards the idea of ‘big’. There’s a few ok moments, but mostly it’s boring, basic, overly cheesy and the performances are stunted. It’s very drawn out for a simple idea with no real pay off. There’s no memorable moments visually and I didn’t laugh at the line gags. I really wonder what punter is going to sit through this whole thing?
Time to get back to that Harvey Norman banner ad you are working on @BBMK
Critique is allowed. Instead of getting your panties in a knot and lashing out with an offensive attack on the person, (everyone with a negative response to my work must be making shit work and are jealous), take the criticism and use it to your advantage.
News flash, not every piece of work you make and not everything posted here is perfect and genius.
@youcantpleaseeveryone that Harvey Norman banner ad won’t write itself, time for you to get back to work.
Time for you to get back to writing the next overly cooked and super underfunded lamb ad I presume. What junior Director are you going to groom?
What bogan bbq joke are you going to rehash?!
You’ve got 12 months, giddyup!
You’re still the toast of the industry.
You can do it! I believe in you.
The time when lamb ads were the toast of Australian comedy ads is very much over.
Comedy timing in this is way off.
nailed it.
Lots of self-commenting happening here, can’t we just let the people comment without a dozen anonymous commenters praising a new director on a first-name-basis.
It’s getting a bit much now children, let’s ease up.
So plugging himself is bad? This entire blog is dedicated to plugging shit. It’s all shit. Even yours. No one likes ads mate.
Radar behind bushes = hahahahahaha!
Saying the Lamb ad isn’t as good as it used to be
This could’ve been funny but the timing was way off at points. Definitely some funny moments but a lot fell flat. I also heard a rumour that these ads are pretty much charity jobs where no one makes money…is this really healthy for the industry? Especially for an organisation that does so much harm to the planet.
Very good. Fresh idea and well executed. Nice work, Yianni and team.
Let the truth be told ‘No one is talking about this’ and if they are…..they don’t think it’s very clever.
Getting into a slanging match with strangers on CB is so Australian.
Old CD Guy saying what we’re all feeling is so UnAustralian.
Nice work Tara I guess
Astroturfing and forced dialogue comedy, I love 2023 already
The 3min film here makes sense. But the 30s cut down simply doesn’t work. There’s too much to unpack, and it feels laboured and confusing. This is the version that will be served to consumers the most. Not this one. Agencies fall into this trap time and time again. They all want the blockbuster and promise the world with the cut downs in order to get it across the line. But in the end, the spots that need to work the hardest, are the ones that suffer. But I don’t want to take away from the fun of the 3min film. I quite enjoyed it.
Agree 100%. Really lked the 3m film, went and hunted down the 30s which was noticeably absent from this PR – honestly can’t imagine what I would’ve thought if I watched the cutdown before the film. Super confusing.
this is evolution
Stunted forced dialogue about bbq’s is definitely evolved.
So many ways you can skin a lamb (ad)
This made me lol. This will make lots of other people lol. Nice one.
It feels like an upbeat, MLA sponsored rendition of Steve Tolz’ ‘Here goes nothing’. Was the script written by ChatGTP perhaps?
Really great ad! Very funny and I saw it through a friend recommending it – which isn’t something that has happened in years!