‘Lamb Side Story’: Summer Lamb campaign via The Monkeys launches, sings unifying message
The highly anticipated summer campaign for Australian Lamb via The Monkeys has launched – singing, dancing and celebrating the one thing all Australians can agree on this summer, lamb.
Building on the long established We Love Our Lamb brand position of unity and inclusivity, the integrated campaign inspires people to put aside their differences, big and small, and come together over lamb.
The campaign launches with the new long-form advert directed by Paul Middleditch, which sees a modern day lamb barbeque get a Broadway musical makeover. With the stage set, Australia’s diverse opinions go head to head, before ultimately showing that lamb is the one thing that brings everyone together.
Says co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at The Monkeys, Scott Nowell: “‘Lamb Side Story’ proves that both extremes of global political views can be fun – there’s nothing like lamb and dancing to bring people with various levels of outrage together.”
The commercial will be pushed out across digital, social, TV and cinema from today, whilst
PR will spread the message across earned media. Media partners, Nova Network, Channel Nine and The Beetoota Advocate will support the campaign across multiple channels, encouraging Australians to put aside their differences and embrace a summer ‘Lambnesty’.
Nova Network’s Fitzy & Whippa will spearhead the mission, with listeners offered Lambnesty barbeque boxes, as well as a seat to Australia’s first Lambnesty barbeque where people with differing opinions will unite over the ultimate lamb feast.
Broadcast partner Channel Nine will integrate the campaign into the channel’s news, sport and social platforms, with on air features with TODAY, Nine News Now and the Cricket One Day International series.
Says Lisa Sharp, Chief Marketing Officer at MLA: “Lamb as a brand stands for unity and this latest campaign shines a light on what unites us rather than divides us. In true Aussie spirit we are celebrating our nation’s ability to put aside our differences and join together over our love of lamb, the meat that brings everyone to the table.”
In-store, product-focused point-of-sale will deliver lamb barbeque inspiration, focusing on the variety of different cuts and cuisines. While, recipes developed by Head Chef, Chef Darren Robertson at Three Blue Ducks and Rocker, will underpin the campaign by inspiring young Aussies to get cooking with lamb this summer.
Creative Agency – The Monkeys
Executive Creative Director / Partner – Scott Nowell
Creative Director – Scott Dettrick
Art Director – Scott Zuliani
Copywriter – Tim Pashen
Head of Planning – Michael Hogg
Planner – Charlotte Marshall
Head of Production – Thea Carone
Senior Producer – Jade Rodriguez
Group Content Director – Humphrey Taylor
Senior Content Director – Katie Wong-Hee
Content Manager – Victoria Zourkas
Content Executive – Will Davies
Production Company – Plaza Films
Director – Paul Middleditch
Executive Producer – Peter Masterton
Producer – Alex Taussig
DOP – Daniel Ardilli
Post Production – The Editors
Editor – Stu Morley
Music & Sound – Song Zu
Musical Director – Ramesh Sathiah
Composer – Gerard Fitzgerald
Media Agency – UM
Group Director – Mike Worden
Senior Client Director – Tim Rogers
Sydney Strategy Director – Chris Colter
Strategy Director – David Toussaint
Partnerships Manager: – Jessica Ngu
Partnership Trader – Emily Ng
PR Agency – One Green Bean
MLA – Chief Marketing Office – Lisa Sharp
MLA – Brand Manager – Anna Sharp
MLA – Acting Brand Manager- Rebecca Tearle
MLA – Assistant Brand Manager – Jasmin Koch
77 Comments
nope – its lost it’s way
not funny
I found that really hard to watch.
Not for me
Funny, liked it.
…you can brief the Melbourne Monkeys for next year.
Really hard to watch.
AT WHAT POINT WILL THIS AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY STOP PORTRAYING GAY COUPLES AS THESE CAMP AS CHRISTMAS, LISPING IDIOTS???
OFFENSIVE IN EVERY WAY.
I’d rather put my eyes on a fork than endure watching that again!
That was hard to watch even once.
lasted until 56seconds and then had to burn my computer and leave the country
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/eat/people-arent-loving-the-new-australian-lamb-ad/news-story/09140f57fa7060fa561bf568a7fd2b56
I think you’ve jumped the shank.
Eat some member berries people, there’s a West Side Story musical commercial that we already know and love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll-CLC8YnI0
Wow. Howie’s going really hard with all the fake negative comments. 😉
…to watch. Cringe. Had to stop and will myself to keep watching… poorly written, second hand jokes, old fashioned (and offensive) stereotypes. A shambles.
It’s only up from here
I had to go and have a shower after that.
Come back Howie, this gig is tougher than it looks.
Dig your credentials out people. Pitch time.
Fish on the BBQ this Australia day.
I couldn’t get past 20 seconds
The grade was nice.
nailed it guys. keep up the good work
Outraged mud-slingers is exactly what the ad is about. At least these guys are having fun. The clicking toes are gold. Hats off to the team for pushing the annual lamb BBQ to more topical and over the top places each time.
The grade was nice.
It put me off my Weet-Bix…atrocious. Not funny enough to be a spoof. Terrible.
Bring back the vegan jokes…
The collective hate for this ad will definitely unite Australians this Aus day.
love it. think it is great. better then the last one around the table. So many haters on this site. When an ad is good it gets lots of hate comments – pretty pathetic Australian advertising – especially when there isn’t anything better on TV at the moment.
This is gutsy. It’s clever to tap into the political divide. This client certainly is brave and keeps them coming. We should applaud them for that – I would love more of my clients to be like that, knowing that some will work better than others.
I can’t help but think this one could have been helped with a better song/funnier lyrics. It’s bloody hard to write funny songs – only a few people in Australia have a track record in it. This feels like they didn’t get one of those people to write it.
Nope… nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.
NOPE!
I love everything the monkeys do, even when it’s not that good.
Geez people,1995 called, it wants its gay stereotypes back.
I’d rather watch this 3 times in a row.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHlG7de1Rt8
It’s shit. It’s too long. It’s not funny. And ‘coming together to settle differences over product’ was Heineken’s big idea in 2017.
And West Side Story was done by Pot Noodle in the nineties. But the Monkeys could shit on a piece of toast, film it and the admiring masses would call it genius. Welcome to Australian advertising in 2018 – just like the 90s. Only shitter and with planning strategies so obvious they don’t realise that almost every other brand has come to the same dull conclusions.
The irony that people are getting so fired up about an ad making fun of outraged people is not lost…
The Monkeys consistently deliver amazing work. I don’t think any bias is going on.
Lamb have been talking about bringing people together for years. Way before Heineken.
No consumer cares if Pot Noodle did a musical ad once upon a time either.
I love that it abandons Australia Day all together. Lots of great little gags tying the whole thing together as well. Lamb have been doing coming together over differences long before Heineken did it.
Nice Kombi
This reminds me of West Side Story
Conspiracy by the Pork Industry to put you off lamb. Note: planner is Michael Hogg. (Using two ‘g’s’ so not to be obvious). Plan executed well. This ad WILL shit you after one viewing. Well done.
Notice Legumes in on it too – under the guise of One Green Bean. Only needed Spinach to have been the agency for the hat trick. But 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. Lambs of Australia your lives will be safe. Fear not.
‘No consumer cares if Pot Noodle did a musical ad once upon a time either.’
But the ad industry does.
Utter bollocks. Give the account back to BMF, at least their sense of humour is in touch with the real Australia.
Australian politics is a ridiculous and farcical musical, complete with a cameo in parliament by a racist in a hijab. MLA have a history of picking up on the national conversation, and this one is no exception.
dont mind it
think its the music that lets it down. not really much of a tune
but, props for pulling it off. its unusual
Yeah, just look at all those hilarious gambling ads BMF do.
So they end 2017 with dross for NRMA and begin 2018 with this rubbish.
Going to be a long year.
Needs more eyeliner.
Challenge: Can Ad-land be any more out of touch with Australia if it tried?
The Monkeys: “Hold my Zinfadel…”
It’s like they tried to do this but didn’t have any decent writers or actors…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoJeXzfR_bs
My heart goes out to the editor. Imagine having to watch nothing else but this for two weeks.
I figure someone should comment without the cloak of anonymity.
I’m a fan of both identity politics and musicals so I like the idea.
I think it is well shot and acted (although I wouldn’t have made the Right guy quite so odious).
And there are some nice lines and gags.
But it is about 90 seconds too long.
Just because we can make and run content this long doesn’t meN we should.
Someone better than me once wrote about the value of learning to kill your babies.
Some should have diedon the cutting room floor.
Looks like something that Baz Luhrmann directed — a huge waste of money (John Oliver and I both agree) because it’s rubbish (most musicals are awful).
A huge step backwards this year — the 2018 Lamb Ad has gone to “La La Land”.
Once aspired to work with the Monkeys.But now it is embarrassingly try hard.Telstra, NRMA and now this work.What changed?
Very topical and quite funny. Have no idea what it’s selling, however. Which is kind of our job.
Why is the ad industry cool with stealing ideas from every where else – comedians, short film makers, visual artists, photographers, content creators on YouTube but not overseas ads where you know already the people involved were paid? Bit annoying for the poor artists with credibility and imagination who will never be paid your salary.
I’m the funniest thing in this ad. It doesn’t make sense!
Great Scott there’s three Scott’s.
Meryl Streep gives standing ovation to child rapist Roman Polanski.
Meryl Streep wears black to complain about sexual harassment.
Cate Blanchett refuses to discuss ‘who she’s wearing ‘ on red carpet because ‘her clothes don’t define her’.
Cate Blanchett does Armani and SK1 ads to define herself and brands.
Monkeys do satire and present gay men as bunch of limp-wristed, pansies.
Monkeys claim to provide safe workplace for all employees.
That was horrible and hard to watch. Time for a year off and for BMF to get back involved.
Great Scott there’s three Scott’s.
ACCENTURE! ACCENTURE! ACCENTURE! ACCENTURE! ACCENTURE! ACCENTURE! ACCENTURE! TIMESHEETS! ACCENTURE! ACCENTURE! BOTTOM LINE! ACCENTURE! ACCENTURE! ACCENTURE! $60Mil! ACCENTURE! F&@$ LAMB! ACCENTURE!
If only the general public cared as much about ads as the industry that makes them. Wouldn’t that be nice.
P.S. Hi Steve Dodds.
It wasn’t the musical part that made me cringe. LOVE a bit of West Side Story.
It the portrayal of left and right.
Ok… so, I’ve always believed that if no one hates your ad, no one can like it. You need to be polarising to sell shit. And making an ad that everyone kind of likes is a great way to become background noise.
But they’re not selling to the masses or being polarising. They’re trying to do both at the same time, which is why this ad has become such a mixed bag of WTF.
Their right / left assumptions are just… incorrect, and will or have put off-side anyone who votes labour or libs/nat. So most of Australia.
A labor voter will see how leftys are portrayed and think, “that’s not me”.
The same when a libs or nationals voter see how they portrayed the right.
People and their stupid opinions are more complex than that.
PS: The 9 largest NO voting electorates were labor.
It’s one thing to make a TVC about inclusion, it’s another to make a parody about the left & right parties.
The west side story treatment was nice, it’s just a shame it showcased the political structure rather than focusing on the opinions of individuals.
A celebration of aussie and advertising mediocrity. Congrats all.
My brother in law is a butcher at at one of the big supermarkets and according to him lamb sales are tanking.Would love to know actual sales performance over last few years???
I’m just here for the comments.
Remember, nobody cares what anybody in the ad industry thinks.
if only what we did mattered
Picking up on Svens question it is worth noting that over the last few years pork sales have increased markedly.Maybe because they sell it by selling the benefits of the product like healthiness and ease rather than tenuously attaching it to social issues.
It seems the Monkeys don’t like /get ‘selling’ after watching this work and the recent NRMA Christmas TVC.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sdQHRQ-8xLA
I agree with Doddsy.
Also Steve Dodds, I have your clarinet under my desk.
I really need to return it to you.
Take important, world-defining issues and trivialise them to sell meat.
Yeah, that’ll work.
It’s just an awfully executed version of Heineken’s ad from 8 months ago then?
If I had worked on this I would have asked for my name to be taken off the credits.
Big budget Spam
There’s part of my life I will never get back. Had to endure the cinema version of a non-funny, tedious ad that is far too long.