Beyond the Brief: Kerfuffle’s recipe for Picklebet ~ chaos, choreography and a fearless client

Picklebet recently launched its first major brand campaign with new indie agency Kerfuffle, marking a bold entry into Australia’s betting scene. ‘Get Your Pickle On’ feels more club night than betting ad. In this Beyond the Brief, CB chats to Kerfuffle co-founder/CCO Josh Stephens and senior copywriter Carly Dallwitz about how the ad came together and what it reveals about the kind of work the agency wants to be known for.

Take us back to the original Picklebet brief? What were they hoping to achieve with this campaign?

Josh Stephens: Picklebet came to us as a relatively unknown name in a crowded and competitive space. They knew they needed to do something bold – something that would cut through the noise and stick in people’s minds. Dare I say they wanted to create a bit of a Kerfuffle.

Carly Dallwitz: From the very start, it was a dream brief. No complex messaging. No restrictive mandatories. Just a client with a great brand name and an exciting product who was ready to make a splash with big, brave work. Once we set up the foundations strategically, we could really go for it creatively.

How did this high-energy tone come together, and what reactions did it spark among the team and the client?

CD: We were lucky to have brave, trusting clients who knew this idea only worked if we went all in, no holding back. Everyone was on-board from the moment they heard the idea and fully embraced the chaos.

JS: We knew contrast was crucial to communicate the app’s role in shaking up a tired category. But we also knew we still had to exist somewhere within the category conventions. In the script, we intentionally set the scene in a familiar but lifeless venue, creating a stark baseline to juxtapose with the absurd, high-octane, fresh pickle energy. Then, director Jesse James McElroy (Sweetshop) took it to the next level in his treatment.

What made director Jesse James McElroy the perfect fit for this project?

JS: Jesse’s treatment took the original script to the next level re the action and performance, and importantly Jesse understood that it had to be genuinely fun – not talking down to regular pub patrons. He got this bit spot on. Jesse really gets deep into the process and had a lot of time in pre-production to get under the skin of the prosthetics (pun intended), characters, art dept, and the choreography.

CD: Jesse is a master of the weird, the absurd, and the surreal – which made him a perfect match for this concept. But beyond that, he’s also ridiculously detail-oriented and uncompromising, which this idea absolutely needed. Every chaotic moment had to be carefully crafted, and Jesse brought that perfect mix of vision and precision.

How did the Partiboi69 collab come about, and how did the track shape the campaign’s whole energy?

JS: From the beginning, we had a clear vision for the track. It had to be a proper dancefloor banger – something totally unexpected in that kind of setting with that kind of clientele – but with playful energy and zero pretention. The music search was right in Carly’s wheelhouse – she was all over Partiboi69. And the talented Sam Hopgood at Bang Bang crafted the composition, sound design and mix that brought the whole thing together.

CD: We cast the net wide and found some great tracks and artists, but we kept coming back to Partiboi69 – he had exactly the vibe we were after. The demo he sent back hit harder than anything else we’d heard and instantly set the tone for the campaign’s wild energy.

The choreography is insane, what was the inspiration, and how did you make sure it hit the high-energy, slightly chaotic vibe?

JS: We were drawn to choreography that felt offbeat, weird and unexpected, like the idea itself. Anything that looked too Broadway musical or boyband was a big no-no. It had to have a raw, out-of-control edge.

CD: All the performers in the ad are professional dancers, so Vanessa Marian (Choreographer) worked with the styles they were already familiar with and then pushed them further. The result was this perfect blend of precision and absurdity.

Picklebet’s up against some big names, what creative moves made sure this felt like their world, their rules?

JS: So many betting ads play in the same predictable, blokey, expected space. We knew Picklebet couldn’t compete by doing more of the same. Instead, we leaned into their challenger status and built a world that felt completely fresh for the category: surreal, chaotic and a little unhinged. Damon (Picklebet Co-founder/CMO) and his team were behind the idea 100% and really understood the need to be distinctive.

CD: Every creative decision was about throwing out the rule book. We weren’t trying to be the biggest player in the game. We just wanted to be the one that stood out the most. The whole Picklebet team were on exactly the same page.

Betting ads come with plenty of red tape. Did those rules cramp your style, or actually push you to get more inventive?

CD: We definitely faced some creative challenges, but none that threatened the core idea. The beauty of working with a concept that’s so metaphorical and unexpected is that we weren’t breaking any rules to begin with. That gave us a surprising amount of freedom to push things, without running into the usual roadblocks.

JS: Staying away from betting tropes helped us in this regard. It’s more like a music video than a betting ad.

This being Kerfuffle’s first major campaign, what does it say about the kind of work you want the agency to be known for?

JS: When we started Kerfuffle, we were looking to create work that commands attention and causes a genuine reaction. This campaign does exactly that. It’s bold, brave, and impossible to ignore. It’s the right thing for Picklebet to stand out in a very competitive category. Every challenge is different though. For any brief, we put a lot of emphasis on getting the strategy and positioning spot-on first and foremost, then we know we can push hard to ensure the creative is captivating. The process we followed, the campaign we executed and the relationship we have with Picklebet sets a great benchmark for how it all comes together.

Any creative or cultural touchpoints that you leaned on to make this feel fresh and unique?

CD: I think everyone’s a little tired of seeing AI-generated everything right now. We knew that doing things for real – for example, using real dancers in prosthetics instead of CGI – would make everything feel more alive and unique.

JS: I think this is another example of the industry getting back to ads as entertainment again, which is a good thing. It really works.

Looking back, what’s the one moment or detail you’re most proud of from the campaign?

CD: When you’re making something that’s a bit out-there, there’s always that moment where you think, “Have we gone too far?” – like the pickle into the gob shot at the end – and the instinct is to pull back. But every time that crept in, we reminded ourselves that if we were going to do it, we had to fully commit.

JS: We took a few calculated risks with this one, and we had a brave client who was prepared to take them with us. I’m most proud that we came out the other side to such a positive reaction, proving that creativity, craft and trust are key ingredients to make great work.

Client: Picklebet
Creative Agency: Kerfuffle
Production Company: Sweetshop
Director: Jesse James McElroy
Producer: Melissa Weinman
Co-Managing Director: Edward Pontifex
Co-Managing Director: Greg Fyson
Executive Producer: Kate Roydhouse
Director of Photography: Aaron McClisky
Production Designer: Ruby Mathers
Prosthetics: Odd Studio
Post Production: ARC
Post Production Producer: Winnie O’Neil
Editor: Jack Hutchings
Colourist: Fergus Rotherham
Online: Eugene Richards
Sound: Bang Bang Studios
Sound Engineer: Sam Hopgood
Music Composition: Partiboi69
Music Supervisor: Charmedimsure
Content Production Company: Eric, Tom & Bruce
Content Director: Jake Ward
Brand Photography: Chris Budgeon
Re-touching: Dave Mercer
Choreographer: Vanessa Marian