The new lamb ad is the most important piece of Aussie advertising in a very long time
While there’s plenty in there to get extremists from almost every group riled up, Alex Hayes argues Meat & Livestock Australia’s new lamb ad is an important step forward for Aussie advertising.
The new lamb ad is going to have the frightbats from the left, right, aboriginal and gay communities hurling their vitriol into the Twittersphere for weeks.
And it’s bloody genius.
By turning away from the traditional Australia Day campaign and reclassifying it as a January campaign, Meat & Livestock Australia is following through on the promise it’s been cultivating for the last 18 months, of having an open and honest discussion about diversity and what it actually means to be Australian.
As a Brit who recently got my Australian citizenship this ad resonates with me more than any of the entertaining and yet strangely alienating chest-thumping efforts of the past decade or so starring Sam Kekovich (who this year gets a cameo as a Serbian getting off a boat and chomping on a chop).
“Important piece of advertising”. Come now.
Alex,
Agree that it’s important to show diversity and be inclusive, but this lacks so many cultural sensitivities especially in regards to the historic way the British ‘handled’ the indigenous population, whom were classed as ‘fauna’ by the British crown.
As an ex-pat, I wouldn’t expect you to understand, however this has already proven to be hugely upsetting for the indigenous community and I hope it’s not held up as some ‘great example of diversity.’ In fact, the entire ad is laden with so many racist stereotypes it’s hard to see how you could actually find it funny.
The only way they could have made this more offensive is if they cast blackface as the main characters – which seems to be the strategy. Upset every minority group you can, get millions of hits and when lamb is on special for $8kg after Australia Day because they didn’t sell nearly enough, marketing departments job is done who cares if it didn’t work.
The fact that lamb is now cheaper than beef speaks volumes – the advertising is shocking people, but clearly not working.
Alex – Get over it – I can’t believe you are so offended and take offence for all the others you feel have been insulted. The problem is that with all this PC BS and identity politics, we’ve lost our sense of humor and the ability to laugh at ourselves. I vote it ad of the century! I still have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. Not only at the ad content but recognising that it will twist the bejesus out of the shorts of the PC / identity mob that you seem to be the #1 member of. The twitter storm it will cause will just reinforce my comment here – plenty more to laugh at coming so in 128 words or less!
Paul,
My name isn’t Alex but I’ll assume that comment is directed at me.
I personally am not offended by the repeated racism I’ve witnessed my entire life, I’m used to it. I only stated my opinion as a means to educate someone who may not have the background of the situation. Since you missed the point, I’ll summarise:
• The ad is not a great example of diversity when they’ve used racist stereotypes to depict each race
• The ad completely missed any sensitivities around indigenous Australians and ‘the arrival’ – which marks the beginning of white oppression, slavery, rape, genocide and wholesale slaughter of indigenous people, destruction of their environment and culture.
“I still have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.” – I’m glad you find racism so hilarious. Care to join me at a One Nation rally later on where we can whinge about all the migrants taking our jobs before bashing some Lebs with beer bottles?
Sincerely,
Fauna.
Perfect
Hey Fauna,
“As an ex-pat, I wouldn’t expect you to understand”. Really? Do you think there are ‘locals’ like you who expect advertising to take the lead in addressing and informing on the biggest cultural stain on this nation’s history? They’re trying to get you to eat more lamb mate, get over yourself.
bPhrea,
I don’t think advertising should go anywhere near ‘the biggest cultural stain on this nation’s history’ unless the goal is to take the lead in addressing the issue.
If your goal is to get me to eat more lamb, I’d suggest there are far more sensitive and sensible ways to go about it.
Goodness. It’s just an ad. It’s not a documentary or any sort of important historical document. I think like last year’s Spring ad it acknowledges that we are all different but in many ways we all just want to get along. But there’s always the perpetually outraged crowd who will find offence in anything.
Alex – Get over it – I can’t believe you are so offended and take offence for all the others you feel have been insulted. The problem is that with all this PC BS and identity politics, we’ve lost our sense of humor and the ability to laugh at ourselves. I vote it ad of the century! I still have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. Not only at the ad content but recognising that it will twist the bejesus out of the shorts of the PC / identity mob that you seem to be the #1 member of. The twitter storm it will cause will just reinforce my comment here – plenty more to laugh at coming so in 128 words or less!
Hi Paul,
Any chance you read the piece? Or did you literally just read the first line…?
Cheers,
Alex – Mumbrella
Read the piece and watched the add – get over it Alex – put on a smile and have a laugh at yourself! Life is way to short to have such incredible worries.
Hey Alex – I think that Paul has mistaken Fauna’s first line of “Alex,” as his name. I’m quite sure his post is a response to Fauna’s reaction, not your piece. Hence he’s posted it twice, once as a reply to Fauna, and once (inexplicably) as a stand alone post.
Alex – That made me laugh more than the ad, which I did like.
As a non-native, I thought it found the right balance of addressing serious issues without losing the humour of the idea. Yes it glosses over some horrible things that were done, but in doing so I feel it’s trying to portray how Australia can be at it’s best – not it’s worst.
To have an Australia Day ad starring Indigenous talent is great, and then it shows respect by not using the words at all.
Yes it’s a bit cheesy, and I don’t like the music – but in my opinion it is neither offensive nor ‘PC’ (I hate that term). It is a celebration of the best of this country, whilst acknowledging the fact that the true history is very complicated.
Hmmm. Disagree. But then, I’m not white so my opinion doesn’t matter to you.
@Fauna
If that reply is for me, then you’re mistaken. Every reasonable opinion is important.
All opinions are important Fauna, please remove that chip from your shoulder. Anyone here will be happy to discuss your opinions of the ad, but don’t play the racist card if they disagree with you.
Shame that in this forum, your skin colour doesnt matter, unless of course you choose to mention it, in which case you are the one bringing that into the conversation. That seems a shame.
That’s a racist statement.
They forgot the Irish… Disappointing as that’s where we got our love of a party in the first place! Not to mention sport
I take it the sorry looking convicts stumbling around behind the British are the Irish? Think I spotted an ancestor.
Some people only scan for negatives, in everything. You won’t achieve responding. Good, fun, inclusive add….
Usual identity politics from the Left
The progressive mafia strikes again.
Keep aiming for those ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ alex…
love it
What Australia’s governments don’t tell you is that they allow hormones and antibiotics to be added to our meat which are banned in much of the world, including the entire European Union. If Australians woke up to this, and understood the meat which get sold here is a risk to our health, the meat industries would collapse.
This is why we export so much of our meat to places like Indonesia…because developed countries with proper health standards wont accept it.
Matt could you please provide a substantiated and credible links to back up the claims you make as I would be very interested to see your sources. A peer reviewed article would be preferred as well.
Hey Matt
Sorry mate, you’re wrong. Pumping hormones into Australian produced lamb has been banned for over the past 30 + years. And if antibiotics are used, they are only used on a case-by-case basis, juts like in humans – not in mass vaccinations or pumped into their feed. Most lamb is pasture-fed not in feedlots or sheds like chicken and pigs.
Australian meat is some of (if not) the safest and cleanest in the world thanks to Government regulations and Aussie farmers wanting to produce the best quality.
Exports of meat to Indonesia isn’t because of improper health standards. As Aidecay says, “back up your claims”. I’d start with Googling or chat to some lamb producers. They’re a happy bunch and would love to broaden your knowledge on Australian meat production.
It’s great to have an opinion in forums like these but please base it on facts. It gives you more credibility. And as Trump would say, “You’re false news”.
Good Ad – But shit lamb.
Thanks Alex, an interesting read. I agree that it’s a brave and clever ad. And to Fauna’s point, the ad made me laugh and feel a bit uncomfortable at the same time. I don’t think it’s racist. I think it’s trying to be ironic by using stereotypes to prove the point that actually Australia is a diverse place, our history is checkered and that none of us are really like the stereotypes anyway – even the gays on the float or the vegans (neither of which are races).
The Aborigines welcoming the British was a pretty bold bit to include and I thought ‘woah, are they really doing this?’ But they did it in such a way that made the Brits look a bit foolish. The ‘we’re all boat people’ line was pretty risky too. But the tone and the script kept it light and positive – just.
Did it make me want to go out and buy lamb? No, but I’m a vegetarian. 🙂 I think it’s an interesting exercise in wrapping a product up with meaning and emotion – particularly on this scale of tying it to our national identity. I personally don’t want to kill and eat cute fluffy baby animals, no matter how much the ad makes me feel a sense of pride in our country.
It looks cheap and sorry the tone is off for me.
Good luck marketing that cruelty to vegans and veggies, mates!
I am going to try this once again to see if this post is moderated out of existence for reasons other than the truth. For the second time I say just a minute guys! For the record – this ad appears to be a blatant appropriation/rip off of Kosta Nikas’s original concept and short film entitled ‘Boat People’ screened at the Dendy Leichardt cinema complex as part of the 2016 Greek Film Festival and in Melbourne as well. Bloody hell how do agencies get away with this?
Would someone from the Monkey agency like to justify the substantial similarities of this ad to that of the short film ‘Boat People and indicate where they say they got their original idea from?
Very disturbing
Disturbing
Here’s a link for you to enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVG5odSZrDw
Its called Boat People
check out the short film ‘Boat People’ on SBS on demand, NITV and YouTube. See what you think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVG5odSZrDw
…not so cool from the lambs position.
Absolutely love this. Exactly what Australia should be all about. Being able to laugh at ourselves and celebrating our differences.
Yeah it was OK. Good even. But not worth wetting your pants about
I am a long way from home – living in North America. This new ad resonates in so many ways on so many levels as to what it means to be an Australian. We are showing it to locals who are fascinated, appreciative and more importantly get it – trust me they don’t always “get it” here.
We have a complicated history still evolving. There is hurt and suffering in every group. But this ad is attempting to try and embrace some positives out of all of this without denying what has happened. “How long have you guys been here?” “Since forever mate!”
They have encapsulated it. Brilliant.
Doesn’t the 2017 Australia Day ad look familiar to you?
Industry magazine Film ink think so.
https://filmink.com.au/2017/doesnt-the-2017-australia-day-lamb-ad-look-familiar-to-you
Mmm?
You can stop posting this over and over now.
It’s certainly something that could qualify as similar in thought, but the execution is very different.
Imagine this ad was a bunch of Jewish guys having a BBQ in Poland. Then they invite the Germans to come over. And the Russians. The Yanks. The Brits. The Palestinians. Etc.
Wouldn’t seem half as funny now, would it?
The simple fact, and this is not someone being outraged or a lefty nutter or anything…
The simple fact, is that well over half the indigenous population were wiped out, forced to migrate to the worst parts of Australia, lost their language, lost their culture, lost their history, lost their families.
I don’t want to spoil your fun. I really don’t. But how can anyone not see that this ad is making light of a very, very serious and delicate situation?
And to use the argument ‘well the Jews happened ~70 years ago’, Aboriginies were still being poisoned with radiation at Maralinga by the British Government in the early 60’s.
I don’t want to spoil your fun, but just have a think for a second.
“The simple fact, is that well over half the indigenous population were wiped out, forced to migrate to the worst parts of Australia, lost their language, lost their culture, lost their history, lost their families.”
So are the current “Australians” justified for feeling this way about the current influx of ‘boat people’
S
Dear, oh dear, Susan.
Are you trying to compare the ‘struggles’ of middle-class white people in Australia to those of the indigenous population?
Can you please tell me how this population of ‘white Australia’ have been wiped out, forced to migrate to the worst parts of Australia, lost their language, lost their culture, lost their history or lost their families?
And could you ‘please explain’, to use a term you may be familiar with, how ‘boat people’ contribute in any way shape or form to this?
Thanks in advance,
Your friendly neighbourhood moron.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nuclear_tests_at_Maralinga
why are all the nationalities portrayed as stereotypical caricatures apart from the Aboriginals?
Since when did it become compulsory for people to eat lamb on Australia Day? I for one don’t want our national day to become a giant advertising campaign for the meat industry
You don’t celebrate diversity of diversity of culture and belief with a ham-fisted (no pun intended) and crass lampooning of it. This is the same old ‘Meathead & Deadstock’ attitude dressed up with a pretense of cultural sophistication and savvy attitude. The too-clever-by-half ad gurus are incapable of differentiating between ‘clever’ and ‘insulting and offensive’, and just go for the lazy option of targeting the sacred cows (no pun intended again). Then again, I suppose we can’t expect much better from an industry (and their handmaidens) that’s built on cruelty, suffering and unnecessary violence.