Production begins on ABC TV’s one hour Mojo documentary to be hosted by Russell Howroft
TV production company CJZ has started work on a one hour documentary about two of Australia’s greatest admen – Alan (Mo) Morris and Allan (Jo) Johnston – the creatives behind the legendary MOJO advertising agency. The show will be hosted by the star of ABC TV’s ‘Gruen’ series on advertising Russel Howcroft, chief creative officer of PwC Australia.
Says Howcroft: “This is the story of how two unpretentious geniuses re-wrote the rule book in advertising. From “How Do ya Feel?” to Paul Hogan putting “another shrimp on the barbie”. They had a hit parade of jingles and ads that did much more than sell products, they changed the way we thought about ourselves, and helped take a new Australian identity to the world.”
Mo & Jo were the Lennon & McCartney of Australian advertising, a generation of Australians sang along to: “How do you feel?”, “They said you’d never make it”, “Hit em with the old Pea Beu”, “Going, going Amoco-ing”, “I can feel a Fourex coming on”, “You oughta be congratulated” “A week without the Weekly’s not the same”, or the iconic clarion call to cricket fans that became an unofficial national anthem and a #1 single! – “C’mon Aussie C’mon “.
Says Howcroft: “This is the beginning of my love letter to Australian Advertising. Mo & Jo are two of the most important creative figures in Australian history since Henry Lawson & Banjo Patterson!”
In 1988 the MOJO agency was crowned international advertising agency of the year. Sadly, Alan (Mo) Morris passed away in 2007, but surviving partner Allan (Jo) Johnston will be featured in the documentary and has opened the extraordinary MOJO archives to the CJZ production team.
Howcroft also plans to interview major players in the story including: Paul Hogan, John Cornell, Ita Buttrose, John Singleton, Ian Chappell and key insiders from the MOJO agency.
Howcroft has over 25 years experience in marketing and media, holding leadership roles across industry and agencies and working with many of Australia’s iconic brands. He has been an outspoken panellists on ABC TV’s Gruen for 10 seasons since 2008. Today he is chief creative officer at PwC and is one of the key leaders in the firm’s new CMO Advisory practice.
CJZ is Australia’s largest independently owned production company specialising in original content across all genres. CJZ is committed to producing compelling programming for a wide national and international audience. Signature programs include popular factual series Bondi Rescue (Ten), Gruen (ABC) and the ground-breaking Go Back to Where You Came From (SBS) that won the 2012 Rose d’Or as the best television program in any genre. CJZ produces for commercial networks, public broadcasters, free-to-air and cable. Genres span factual, entertainment, drama and comedy programming.
8 Comments
Long overdue. These blokes were and one of them still is legendary. They taught many of us everything we know about storytelling and the power of emotion in what we do.
Ah, those were the days.
Hokey, blokey and Aussie.
But irresistible.
Reckon this will be a good watch!
Who the hell sang the “My Way” song used in the Taubman’s ad, late 70s?
And was it “Kiwified” for NZ audiences?
cheers
No doubt Mojo was a powerhouse. But it was just one. Their jingletastic era of the 80s is what it was. Surely this should be more of a doco on several powerhouses. Campaign Palace had as many, if not more, standout ad hits than Mojo. But then… Howcroft would never do a doco on the Palace. He’s the one who killed it.
Love those guys, the whole show , worked there 10 yrs? Maybe more
Best of times , best of people, bring it all on,
Show should be Amazing, so many great people & the vibe astonishing !!
I longed to hear my all time favourite ’70s MoJo ditty about Amoco Petrol, but alas, it was omitted.
Maybe because I think it was originally a radio jingle ??
“How’s everything down at the Station, Bert ?”
..”It’s not what we put in our petrol,
It’s more what we take out.
You see we’ve got the Final Filter,
and it stops, ..the dirt”