Meat and Livestock Australia sets the barbeque record straight in Canberra with a satirical protest – part of an ongoing campaign created by BMF

Australian beef producers yesterday staged a satirical protest outside the Canberra Convention Centre, challenging the accuracy of a well-known line from a 1980s tourism commercial – “throw another shrimp on the barbie”. This phrase is one Aussies know only too well, having been taunted with it for almost three decades since it was made famous in the ad. In an attempt to set the record straight, a convoy of media vehicles, a helicopter and a fleet of scooters stormed through Canberra’s city centre, all bearing the famously known phrase, with one noticeable change as it read “Throw Another Steak on the Barbie” via BMF.

The protest coincided with the opening night of a comedy tour fronted by the man responsible for coining the phrase all those years ago – Paul Hogan. Created for Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA)’s latest ‘Nothing Beats Beef’ campaign via BMF, the activation is just one of the ways in which beef producers are setting the record straight when it comes to what our great barbecuing nation is really made of – steak, not shrimp.

Says Andrew Cox, MLA group marketing manager: “All Aussies know that it’s steak we throw on the barbie, not shrimp. This was a tongue in cheek attempt at encouraging the nation that beef is the real deal for barbecues this summer.”

MLA’s activity follows last year’s successful “Throw Another Steak on the Barbie” campaign, in which comedian, radio presenter and known beef-lover Merrick Watt successfully secured the support of 50,000 fellow Aussies who say it’s actually steak we throw on the barbie.

The 13/14 campaign, featuring Watt again, is supported by outdoor and point-of-sale materials, interactive recipe-dispensing sites in major retailer shopping centres, targeted online social media promotion across MLA’s ‘Nothing Beats Beef’ Facebook page.