Sam Kekovich is front and centre once again as Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) unveils the annual summer lamb campaign.
The latest instalment of the iconic campaign, which is now in its 19th year, doubles down on the generation gaps that divide the nation, skewering Boomers, Zoomers, Millennials and Gen X-ers with lamb serving as the great unifier.
The full-length ad premiered last night (7 January) and will run nationally across TV, online video, catch-up TV, paid social and retail OOH channels. It will also be supported by owned and earned social media activity.
The ad imagines a world where the different generations have been separated by The Generation Gap: an impassable chasm that keeps each age group away from the others. Left to their own devices, each generation has become the worst version of themselves – until a lamb BBQ appears to bring them all together.
Graeme Yardy, domestic market manager at Meat and Livestock Australia, said: “Pop culture would have us believe that the generations are practically different species. Apparently, Boomers are unable to master the basics of technology whilst Zoomers spend every waking moment making TikTok dances and Millennials spend too much on avo toast and craft beer.”
“But in reality, there’s far more that unites than separates us, and that’s what this year’s Summer Lamb campaign is all about. Whether it’s a love of our sporting heroes or our beautiful landscapes, the best of Australia always brings us together, and what better way to break down the generational divide than over an epic Aussie lamb BBQ – the ultimate unifier!”
This year’s campaign was created by The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, UM and One Green Bean. The film was co-directed by Aimée-Lee Xu Hsien and Trent O’Donnell at Rabbit, with post-production by The Editors and music and sound by MassiveMusic.
Scott Dettrick, creative director at The Monkeys, said: “With growing differences in wealth, opinions, and ways of communication, the generation gap in Australia has never been wider. The various frustrations this year have each generation throwing tropes around, looking for someone to blame. When you scratch beneath the surface though, it’s attitudes, not age, that divide us.”
“Maybe if we just got around a lamb BBQ and had a chat, we might find out that grandad is actually pretty cool, or all that stuff millennials know can be really useful. Our entire creative process this year was a fun generational debate, and with multi-generational directors and editors on the films, it was all very method.”
The first MLA summer lamb campaign was launched in 2005 and was fronted by Kekovich, who delivered a rousing address urging Australians to eat lamb on Australia Day. The campaign, originally created by BMF, has run every year since; however, in recent years, the campaign has dropped the Australia Day focus to embrace the broader summer message.