Latest lamb summer campaign aims to unite Australians with tongue-in-cheek messaging

Recognition Australians are better dealing with adversity when they stand united and that we all need a laugh to kick off 2021 lies at the heart of Meat and Livestock Australia’s latest lamb summer campaign, its market manager says.

MLA took the wrappers off the latest annual instalment of its ‘Share the lamb’ platform on 10 January 2021 with a new ad reflecting on the cultural impact of 2020 on Australians and hope for a more united nation in 2021. The 2021 iteration of the ‘Share the Lamb’ brand efforts was created in partnership with The Monkeys and posits a potential reality of physical borders separating Australians across different states as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic long-term. 

Set in an imagined 2031, the tongue-in-cheek content highlights Australians divided by a great wall across every state border that, the campaign creators suggest, is un-Australian and can’t last forever. The scent of lamb on the BBQ is positioned as the catalyst needed to break down these physical barriers, starting with one hand and a lamb cutlet shared between individuals via a crack in the state wall. The long form advert is directed by Airbag’s Ariel Martin.

The MLA campaign launched across free-to-air and subscription TV from 10 January 2021 and is being pushed out nationally across digital, social and retail out-of-home advertising platforms. MLA has partnered with UM on media strategy, and one green bean on earned and social media.

MLA domestic market manager, Graeme Yardy, said the campaign was a direct response to the testing year Australians have just experienced, a year which continues to see the unprecedented closure of state borders across the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic threat.  

“2020 has been a year that has really tested the Australian spirit. For the first time in our history having hard borders between states has challenged how to stay connected as individuals and as a country,” he commented.

“As a brand that celebrates unity and the power of coming together, this year in the ad, we wanted to remind Australians that we are always stronger together. Our hope for 2021 will be that the virtual get togethers of the last 12 months, will be replaced with an Aussie lamb barbie, the most unifying, and delicious meal of all.”

Yardy told CMO there was never a doubt about running the Australian Lamb Summer Campaign in January.

“This is a really important time to maximise sales for Australian lamb producers in the domestic market, and deploying a wide-reaching campaign, across multiple channels ensures that Lamb is top of mind when Australians are choosing what to throw on their BBQ this summer,” he explained.

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Yardy also dismissed concerns the ad’s cheeky content could be negatively received by Australian consumers given the political and cultural climate we’ve experienced and ongoing state restrictions in January 2021.

“While we appreciate that this has been a tough 12 months for many, and we’re not out of the woods yet, there is a real truth that we as Australians deal with adversity best when we stand united,” he said. “And after this year, I think we can all do with a bit of a laugh to kick off 2021.

“Australian Lamb is the ultimate meal that brings people together, so in these tough times, what else would bring about the unity of all Australians than lamb?”

The Monkeys creative director, Scott Dettrick, agreed the start of 2021 was a good time to reflect on the year that was and how it’s impacted Australian culture.

“The last year has been so surreal that as a country we have come to accept that anything is possible,” he said. “The idea of virtual borders becoming real ones in the near future feels more real than it probably should. The start of 2021 is a great time for us to reflect and bring people back together over some lamb wherever possible.”

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