Meat and Livestock Australia’s lamb ad for summer 2021 released
The highly-anticipated summer lamb ad has been released, poking fun at strict border closures. It comes well-ahead of Australia Day after controversy over last year’s timing.
MEAT and Livestock Australia has released its popular summer lamb ad, taking a swipe at border closures and asking Australians to “Make Lamb, Not Walls”.
The advert centres on Australia in 2031, where states have been divided by walls for 10 years.
“Our once united nation has been divided by the great state walls. Only Aussie lamb has the power to break down the borders and reunite the states together around a lamb barbie. Because what unites us is more delicious than what divides us,” the video says.
It features a cheeky jab at Western Australia for trying to form their own country, and even an appearance by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, fresh off the plane from Hawaii.
MLA Domestic Market Manager Graeme Yardy said he hoped the ad would help Australians reflect on 2020 in a fun and lighthearted way.
“As a brand that celebrates unity, in this year’s campaign, we wanted to reinforce that as a nation we are always stronger together. Our hope for 2021 will be that the virtual get-togethers of the last 12 months will be replaced with family and friends enjoying each other’s company and sharing an Aussie lamb barbie, the most delicious meal of all,” Mr Yardy said.
The popular ad, starring former AFL great and lambassador Sam Kekovich, first aired in 2004 and is usually launched in the lead up to Australia Day in an effort to increase lamb consumption.
MLA came under fire last year for releasing the ad after Australia Day, which led some farmers and industry players to accuse MLA of bowing to “the PC police” and pressure over the “Invasion Day” controversy surrounding the national holiday.
The levy-payer funded body last year uploaded “Lamb. The Original Social Feed” onto its Twitter page at 6.30pm on January 27 – the day after Australia Day.
In previous years the campaign has been released up to a fortnight before the national holiday.
Former MLA director Rodney Watt last year said releasing the ad after Australia Day was “a massive tactical fail” and “just dumb”.
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