Gulf Western Oil inspires Australians to ‘Go the distance’ in new brand platform via The Monkeys
Building on its reputation as the makers of the only engine oil tough enough to withstand the harsh Australian conditions, Gulf Western Oil, Australia’s largest manufacturer of lubricants, is launching its first major brand campaign via The Monkeys, part of Accenture Interactive, telling the story of the Lone Rider.
‘Lone Rider’ follows a savvy adventurer who roams the tough Australian landscape atop his trusty vehicle, with nothing but his wits and the world’s most durable engine oil by his side.
Meanwhile, his unique ride, with its huge, exposed engine and monster wheels, provides the ultimate proof of concept for the sustaining endurance of Gulf Western Oil.
To ensure the Lone Rider’s vehicle was as impressive and capable as the oil itself, Gulf Western Oil turned to vehicle concept designer Peter Pound and vehicle builder Harry Dakanalis who had previously brought the cars in the Mad Max films to life.
The 60-second film, directed by Scoundrel’s Tim Bullock, runs this week online and on Gulf Western Oil’s social channels. A behind the scenes film also takes a look under the bonnet of the epic off road vehicle, and will also feature online.
Says Ben Vicary, managing director, Gulf Western Oil: “Celebrating our brand’s spirit of determination, our latest campaign seeks to inspire Aussie motorists with the Lone Rider’s grounded and observational wisdom.”
Says Benn Sutton, creative director, The Monkeys: “Motor oil marketing is traditionally horribly dull stuff where someone drones on about technological droplets. So it was an absolute joy to work with Ben and his team at Gulf Western Oil who wanted to tell an entertaining product story that captured the spirit of the Australian customer and the land they operate in.”
Client: Gulf Western Oil
Managing Director: Ben Vicary
General Manager: Nik Alpert
National Sales Manager: Peter McColl
National Design Manager: Christine Gauci
Creative Agency: The Monkeys, part of Accenture Interactive
Group CEO & Co-Founder: Mark Green
Group Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder: Scott Nowell
Chief Creative Officer: Tara Ford
Managing Director: Matt Michael
Chief Strategy Officer: Fabio Buresti
Executive Creative Director: Vince Lagana
Creative Director: Benn Sutton
Creatives: David Klein, Mike Burdick, Danny Pattison & Barnaby Packham
Senior Planner: Joe Harris
Business Director: Jack Stone
Head of Production: Penny Brown
Senior Integrated Producer: Kat Stephens
Production Company: Scoundrel
Director: Tim Bullock
Executive Producer: Adrian Shapiro
Executive Producer: Kate Gooden
DoP: Shelley Farthing-Dawe
Vehicle Concept Artist: Peter Pound
Vehicle Build Supervisor: Harry Dakanalis
Vehicle Construction: Harry Dakanalis & Ben Toyer – Pro Action Stunts
Production Designer: Aaron Crothers
Casting: i4 Casting – Joseph Wijangco
Post Production
Offline Editor: Adam Wills
VFX: Fin Design + Effects
VFX Supervisors: Justin Bromley & Alex Pattinson
Executive VFX Producer: Alastair Stephen
VFX Producer: Isabelle Howarth
Colourist: Ben Eagleton – BE Colour
Sound Design: Song Zu
Sound Designer: Simon Kane
Sound Executive Producer: Katrina Aquilia
Music Composition: Damian De Boos-Smith – MADBS Composing Palace
Stills Photographer: Klint Collier
Stills Digi/Assist: Diego Lorenzo José
Making of Creatives: Danny Pattison & Max Rapley
Making of Videographer: Timothy Parsons
Making of Editor: Kyle Brandse, The Monkeys
77 Comments
What a lovely follow up the Monkeys previous environment protecting work https://campaignbrief.com/nrma-insurance-unveils-next-instalment-of-every-home-is-worth-protecting-work-via-the-monkeys/
Mesmerising.
Is freakin cool. Loved watching that along side the ad.
I’m jealous of this.
Thank you Monkeys for knowing the target audience and embracing your inner-creative bogan.
I want that vehicle!
I like how oil make car go brrr
I’m definitely going to choose this oil in the post-climate-apocalyse world that the ad is for some reason set in.
This is rad.
Can’t wait for the Green Team to hit the comment section.
Interesting start to something but in the end it just goes nowhere.
The ad is meh, the BTS is awesome. They should just run that…
Was pointed to the BTS. Sh*t it is awesome. Agree would be pushing this out everywhere. Best content I’ve seen. Period.
This is the best thing I’ve seen come out of The Monkeys. Interesting idea, not over-cooked, well crafted. It’s just really well done. Congrats all.
Can’t wait to see The Monkey’s /Accenture’s ad for why Marlborough Gold are the coolest ciggies.
At least they’re not making up some bullshit green credentials, like Finish dishwasher tablets, pretending to save the environment.
It may be tonally deaf in the current environment, but the fact is we’re way behind the rest of the world when it comes to electric vehicle ownership.
This ad does what it says on the tin.
@ It’s an ad…
Oh we know you all lie most of the time to climb the ladder and get a promotion with whatever the ‘tone’ may be at the time. But it’s just funny to see the blatant hypocrisy here after doing a soppy ad with a kid looking at a koala in a tree mere months earlier – and rolling out PR for them both.
Cheers bloke good onya champion.
Strong start. Goes nowhere.
This Kool Aid tastes delicious!
Who said Koalas and oil don’t mix?
Attention getter.
I love it! Finally a spot that has the feel of what advertising was about. I know what i am buying and damn it stirs the emotions. With a little wink and chuckle. Leave me wanting more.
@honest a bit the same for me. Feels like Monkeys work of old. Great job all involved, and it looks like a long list of credits (this illustrates all want their name hitched to this work it would seem).
The Monkeys are an advertising agency, and like all agencies, their remit is to sell products.
You might see an eco issue here, but don’t blame the agency.
Lobby Scomo and the auto industry, they’re the ones offloading their combustion engine vehicles down here while the rest of the world is moving on.
You say lobby Scomo instead? But we can’t have an issue with everyone involved here quite literally using their creative talents lobbying FOR the oil industry?
There is a hierarchy of blame on this issue indeed. Government is right at the top. But it’s the chain of yes-men (seems to be almost entirely men here too) that help stinkers like this make it all the way down to the public eyes. It all helps to water down the urgency of climate change in the minds of Australians for a little longer…. Maybe one more election-cycle longer.
Perfectly put 👏🏻
Intended or not, did anyone (agency, client or production) stop to question that this looks like it’s set after an apocalypse when the earth is dry, barren and overheated because humans have abused fossil fuel use? So then the protagonist continues to use oil? What’s the take out here?
Would be amazing if this was a parody about advertising and then the moronic writing would also make sense.
All this aside, it’s stinks of desperation to promote an oil ad in these times. We should also question the people involved in making this who already have wads of cash in their bank saying yes to an ad for oil, a quite poorly written one at that.
No excuses people. Have a good look in the mirror, and think what you will tell your children when they’re old enough to understand what you’ve done.
Out here you get time to think?!
Maybe we live in a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping planes.
One where you need an oil that will go, drum roll please, THE DISTANCE.
xxoo
Out here, where?!
The car and the start location and vibe feels like mad max or some sort of apocalyptic film. Looks cool, but a terrible reference for the concept even if mistaken. Look at the comments, I’m not the only one who thought this. Which means a percentage of the audience will think the same.
A farmer shows up to tell us otherwise later, because his ute doesn’t go the distance? Bit late to steer away from the apocalypse vibe and not enough to get the distance idea across.
The distance?!… into the future with oil, with the mining of oil? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?
Yay fossil fuels, you made an ad selling them. 👏🏻 Long live you!?
xox
Thank you advertising Jesus person but I’m not sure anyone thought any of the things you’re saying. A big A plus for the thought you put into writing it though.
Amen.
The fact that some people didn’t think of those things is the point. They should have been thought of, because it looks bad for the client and looks bad for the agency. All are businesses right?
Also, have you not noticed a lot of comments pointing out the same thing?
I’m not jesus, but i am obviously more aware than you are. 🙏🏻
There’s no getting around the truth inherent in this ad: The product is motor oil, stupid.
Scripted ages ago. Amazing how many people have managed to get their dirty paws on the credit list.
Mad max, the future of fossil fuels.
LOL
is there anyone left for the rest of us?damn you monkeys
Why the max max apocalyptic backdrop with some climate change superstorm brewing? I thought this was satirical. But no – it’s an oil ad. Quite confused atm. Maybe because its an homage to the old spice rocket car spot, I was waiting to be let in on the joke. But no. No joke came.
Epic. Bravo
I feel you. As a fellow freelancer it’s always fun to hand over ideas on a silver platter only to see them pop up six months later with 100 names in the credits.
The room needs more monkeys.
Hey advertising industry, stop advertising anything that’s harmful to the planet, Amcol, every car brand, Meat industry etc and so on.
It’s a lame excuse that advertising will be advertising. What happens in the advertising industry stays in the advertising industry? 🤫
I suppose the monkeys want to bring back tobacco ads? They pay well. You would advertise guns and military weapons too? Huge cash cow.
Whaling, mining ads etc?
Most car companies are transitioning to electric and the meat industry can be sustainable if done properly and we eat less meat. It’s not all bad. There’s nothing good about this ad or oil.
There’s a moral line you can draw and still make enough cash to buy your third holiday house.
Hey, guess what – you work in the epicentre of capitalism. You can’t pick and choose which parts of it you’ll be part of. If you’re that sensitive, you should find a different career.
Truth is, you can pick and choose. Many people i know do and have hugely successful, long lasting careers in advertising. If you personally can’t make a few tiny choices in what you do, then your career isn’t quite as good as you think it is.
And the real problem here isn’t completely that it’s motor oil, it’s the script. ‘Motor oil goes the distance in your mad max like car in the outback which could be mistaken for the apocalypse’. It’s very funny.
I had a creative director back in the day who refused to work on the agency’s two major clients: a cigarette company and a meat marketer.
He didn’t last very long.
Hilarious. So you’re saying advertising cigarettes is ok? 😯
Back then it was. It was a different time, circa 1990. But the principle remains. If you’re going to take the high moral ground you’re in the wrong industry. Become an artist, where there are no boundaries. But don’t have any illusions about what advertising is, or its role as a driver of capitalism.
PS: The agency was the sexiest one in Australia: The Campaign Palace.
I don’t think anyone is confused about what advertising and its role in capitalism is. It’s possibly delusional to think everyone else is that stupid?
What’s art got to do with it? If this mad max like ad for oil was art it would make more sense.
So your point is to work in advertising you must have zero morals? So you have no morals?
We should meet, we could make a great documentary about the human with no morals.
Strange that if you were asked to do a cigarette ad now and said yes your career wouldn’t last long.
As said above the meat market has it’s values.
Stop copying and do something original.
What a huge misstep from an agency that has pretty it all when it comes to the pick of their clients…
Morals aside, even as a plain ol’ piece of tv commercial it’s terrible. Blokey wet-dream car go brmm brmm across dusty plains? You built a gigantic car the can use more oil than ever before? ‘Going the distance’ with technology that will eventually be the horse and cart of our times?
And when you push out PR for it here, expect a bit of analysis.
FFS, it’s an ad for motor oil you pillock.
Thanks ‘old’ mate for pointing that out. We should all just chug a schooner, empty a bag and enjoy a good old crude oil commercial like in 1993
Until all the oil in the ground is exhausted, yes. You sound very worthy. I presume you drive an all-electric car.
Wow.
The Monkeys do know how to build a brand and make money for their trusted clients
Where do flies come from?
Flies come from maggots, most likely laid in the old rotten carrion and self justified bullshit of this comments section.
The melody is close to this Morricone track: https://youtu.be/mLXQltR7vUQ?t=13
Can’t wait to show this to my kids in 20 years and say this was work people were proud of being involved with.
A great piece of entertainment, but not a great piece of advertising.
I’ll gladly strip the hood and panels off my station wagon and drive it around in the dirt with a silly steampunk outfit on if any of you find that entertaining. Where do I send my invoice?
Dear Mel,
Send your invoice to Gulf Western.
As much as some try so desperately to bring it down the Monkey tower remains solid. Always.
Great ad.
It amuses one to read the comments. A guess from many that don’t have to much quality work on. I am sure not as much as The Monkeys.
Credit to a client that wanted work that people stop and watch. And starts a conversation.
Looks like they achieved that.
Please keep up the strong work The Monkeys. I hope to get to work with you some day soon.
You want to give credit to the oil client?
They wanted to start a discussion about climate change?
Wtf are you talking about?
Ad looks great but it is oil and is obviously a touchy subject for many people, which the ad is completely oblivious to.
Gulf Western Oil Goes The Distance.
Keep the discussion going.
Australia’s largest and most reliable lubricants it seems.
Those last two comments from the monkeys only proves everything said before in the comments. Hilarious. Too arrogant to see their own stupidity.
I like this ad. And I don’t work at the Monkeys. It’s that allowed?
Don’t be a hater. The industry can rise together. The Monkeys are just red hot right now*
Great work.
*Right now – the last 5 years
All this commentary about climate change from people who have never set foot on a farm or factory. Electric cars are the future. But tractors, trucks and manufacturing machines need oil to run. And this ads sells the product benefits of a great Aussie oil company. Go back to your smashed avo. You’re not the target market.
ain’t that the truth of it all. Will sell oil.. thats all that matters.
Great comment. Advertising is full of people who can’t accept that the industry they work in is the pimple on the arse of Capitalism. It requires versatility. One day you’re selling sugar, the next artificial sweetener. Deal with it or become a florist.
I find the ad and comments entertaining!
I was about to write how I agree with all the anti-oil mob but realised how much a hypocrite I am as I sit here writing this on a bus to Central station, to catch a train, to then get in my car and go home. I’m sure most are doing the same.
Agree, lots of names on the credit list for a simple script…
…is an influence but bravo all round .
Ben Vicary is a beautiful human that loves the planet, and vehicles of all shapes and sizes that run well.
I don’t care if this is for oil or whatever and i don’t think this particular ad is the issue. What i have issue with is a bunch of commenters, some identifying as old CD guy or old campaigner etc, some obviously ECD’s all justifying the idea of advertising for anything by saying; ‘so what it’s advertising, it’s capitalism and all products are bad to some degree, we have no choice, accept it etc.’ Thing is all these people (and I’m going to assume most are men) are on 250k to 700k a year or whatever. And the monkeys is a multi million dollar company. If you earn that much and don’t have a choice then who does? What it amounts to is pure greed. Sure we’re all in advertising to make money but you can’t go around saying you have no choice. It’s like saying scomo has no choice but to mine coal or to deny climate change when other countries are doing the opposite. There’s always a choice, especially when you’re very, very privileged.
Sure, this is just oil, and we all probably drive cars but actively helping the sale of fossil fuels with such a blatantly obtuse idea is a different thing. If any of those on the credit list really needed the cash or possibly could have lost their job if they refused to work on it then for sure do what you need to do. I’m in no position to accuse anyone, but I assume if you’re smart enough to be successful in advertising then you’re smart enough to reflect on the morality of your own choices. Be a ‘man’ and own up to your choices, don’t deny them or try to justify them.
@The bottom line, I hear you but where does it stop? If you take the morale high ground on everything and look deep enough into all products you’ll struggle to have a job. You wouldn’t be able to work on 95% of all packaged goods, FSMG products, supermarkets, 98% of automotive brands, any product that admits energy, cosmetics, fashion, pharmaceuticals, airlines, telecos, furniture brands etc, etc. So what is the answer? I’m betting at least 2 of the accounts you work on don’t meet the morale standard you preach.
To the above i agree. As i said I’m in no position to accuse. But fossil fuels are truly going out of popularity publicly. All car companies are looking to electric, some countries will ban petrol cars in the next 10 years. It’s not just about the product it’s about how it looks for those involved as businesses, especially when you design the ad around building a mad max like fuel guzzling car and drive it across a barren post apocalyptic looking terrain. It’s also especially funny when the previous PR from the monkeys was on saving koalas.
Of course agencies can’t survive on just doing environmentally friendly work, that’s not my point, basically that means no work for anyone. But when you are in a very privileged position you do have the choice to make some minor and very obvious choices that means you don’t promote and help companies that publicly and obviously actively destroy the planet / humans on a grand scale and will be very soon as irksome as creating a tobacco ad. So, my question to you is, would you be involved in a pro-cigarette ad right now, one that made it seem cool for teenagers to smoke?
Would we have the same people on here trying to justify it as just business and to get over it?
Post apocalypse? Have you ever been out west in a normal summer? As for the clothing look at what was worn 100 yrs ago and some of the old photot of t model fords outback!
Didn’t you notice the broken down toyota? Of the tractor in the paddock?
Love the ad!!!!
Well done gentlemen. Visual inspiration of the lone bloke crossing the dry into the storm ahead…no hesitation. I get around in a Nissan Patrol with a 6.5 Chev diesel V8 up it. Somewhere in the desert of the lonely moments of my own life…I am that guy. Thanks for offering that doorway into my own imagination. Gulf Western oil eh ? I’ll be looking for it. Cheers.