Ditching the yelling ‘Lambassador’ Sam Kekovich has been an effective move for Meat and Livestock Australia’s latest spring lamb campaign which is proving to be one of the most powerful to date.
The latest ‘You'll Never Lamb Alone’ advertisement cost about $1.5 million in its initial campaign burst, which racked up 5.25 million views, had 368 media reports and shared online 33,650 times within the first three weeks.
Shot on a golf course in just one take, the advert has been praised for celebrating Australia’s diversity and features Olympian Cathy Freeman, rugby league legend Greg Inglis, model Samantha Harris and Indian-Australian actor Arka Das.
“The brief was to give us an ad that was as good as an Australia day (ad) for a different time of the year,” MLA group marketing manager Andrew Howie said.
“The insight behind it was lambs’ heartland consumers are the baby boomer generation – post-war born people that have grown up with lamb as part of their staple diet.
“As that population age they eat less food. Unless we can engage a younger audience, our market share will start to diminish.”
The reach is attracting competitive figures to the controversial, award-winning ‘Operation Boomerang’ Australia Day which starred SBS’s Lee Lin Chin.
MLA and creative agency The Monkeys launched the ad on January 9, which has cracked 5.4m online views, with 55,000 online shares.
The Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) received 746 complaints mostly relating to the Australia day ad for allegedly inciting hatred towards vegans, while the latest spring campaign has received seven complaints towards racial prejudice.
While Mr Howie said it made for a “romantic story” that MLA’s latest diversity ad was the reaction to backlash from the Australian day campaign, the aim was to start a social conversation which would increase the sale of lamb.
“A conversation that is relevant has the ability to polarise,” he said.
“Younger Australians are hugely diverse and a mass of multiculture. We thought there was an opportunity to reach out to those cultures and say no matter where you’re from or what background you have, everyone has a story about the role lamb has played in their upbringing.”
From 2010-11 to 2014-15, MLA spent $65m on domestic lamb marketing activities which has returned $265m to the sheepmeat industry.
Annabelle Cleeland
Annabelle Cleeland is Fairfax Media’s national sheep and wool writer. Annabelle joined the Fairfax team in 2012 to nurture her love of Australian agriculture. She began as the Victorian western district reporter at Stock & Land before taking on a senior position as a journalist reporting on all industries statewide. Annabelle’s appetite to report on issues which affect the sheep and wool industry has seen her travel to many parts of Australia and abroad. She is excited to spin industry yarns during a period of substantial demand for the sheepmeat and wool industries. Annabelle enjoys horse riding and climbing mountains, and is a lazy supporter of the Geelong Football Club.
Annabelle Cleeland is Fairfax Media’s national sheep and wool writer. Annabelle joined the Fairfax team in 2012 to nurture her love of Australian agriculture. She began as the Victorian western district reporter at Stock & Land before taking on a senior position as a journalist reporting on all industries statewide. Annabelle’s appetite to report on issues which affect the sheep and wool industry has seen her travel to many parts of Australia and abroad. She is excited to spin industry yarns during a period of substantial demand for the sheepmeat and wool industries. Annabelle enjoys horse riding and climbing mountains, and is a lazy supporter of the Geelong Football Club.
