‘A little like hallucinogenic wallpaper’: Campaign Review dissects Amaysim spot
In this edition of Campaign Review, Chello's co-founder and ECD, Tristan Velasco, and Dentsu Creative's senior strategy director, social and content, Irnin Khan, take a look at some firsts: Amaysim's first AI-generated TVC, W+K's highly anticipated first local campaign for Macca's, and 303 Mullenlowe's first work for new client Levande.
In Campaign Review, Mumbrella invites industry creatives and strategists to offer their views on recent ad campaigns.
Brand: Amaysim
Campaign: ‘Mega Data Deal’
Agency: Studio Amayzing (in-house agency)
The verdict: Complacency disguised as creative efficiency?
Tristan Velasco, co-founder and ECD at Chello, gave it a 2/10 and said:
Credit where it’s due: moving quickly and getting something out there is no small feat. But beyond speed, this feels more like a tech demo than a fully formed creative idea.
So, I’m judging it on execution.
If you’re going to position this as setting a ‘new benchmark,’ it needs to meet industry standards. As creatives, we’re held to a high bar, where every detail matters. Yet here, those details feel overlooked, or worse, ignored.
Glitchy eyes, odd wardrobe choices (why the shorts on the toilet?), and distracting posters on the wall all pull focus. A little more time spent finessing these elements would have gone a long way in showing what’s truly possible with AI.
Brands work hard to build trust with audiences, but complacency disguised as creative efficiency can quickly erode trust.
Irnin Khan, senior strategy director, social and content, at Dentsu Creative, gave it a 4/10 and said:
Oh dear. Another orange AI ad… also for a low-cost telco.
Somewhere out there, someone’s very pleased about connecting the brand truth of being a cost-conscious telco amidst cost-of-crisis angst to the low cost of production in this spot. I’m sorry to say, for most people sitting outside the brand’s boardroom… it’s just not that deep. The medium shouldn’t be the message, babes.
Without much of an idea in there and a standard pass-the-parcel of savings narrative structure, it felt a little like hallucinogenic wallpaper — visually coherent, but lacking distinctiveness, slick but soulless.
Brand: Macca’s
Campaign: ‘Peak Chicken’
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Sydney
The verdict: Great Aussie humour, but not quite golden yet.
Tristan gave it a 6/10 and said:
There’s a lot going on here – legacy, nostalgia, and a dash of Gen Z speak – but the connections between those ideas feel a bit tenuous.
It’s trying to position Macca’s as entering its peak with this chicken addition, but for me, the logic doesn’t quite land. Why do wings equal legacy? And what does history have to do with it? It feels like they’re trying to retrofit a bigger brand story around a product launch that doesn’t quite warrant it.
The setup had the bones of something interesting (excuse the pun) – the idea of Macca’s entering its chicken era could’ve opened the door to a narrative around their entire chicken lineup. But instead, it tries to pack a lot into something that is already pretty obvious. Not quite golden yet.
Irnin gave it a 6.5/10 and said:
Beautifully shot, dramatic VO, and dripping with Aussie self-awareness. Macca’s has been dying to be more of a culture brand in Australia, and I guess this is a nice, handshake-level start vs. a big swing.
It’s a warm, familiar portrait of Australian life, with just enough light rizz to get a nod from urban millennials and not scare the families. The strategic move is subtle: elevate the everyday Macca’s run by framing it as a culturally embedded ritual, almost an indulgence we all agree not to question.
But it doesn’t quite stretch that observation into anything culturally additive. It’s slickly packaged montage of ‘relatable moments’, executed with confidence, but a touch predictable. The work says, “we get you”, but doesn’t surprise or reframe what that means.
Brand: Levande
Campaign: ‘Everyday Exceptional’
Agency: 303 Mullenlowe Sydney
The verdict: All-round feel-good.
Tristan gave it a 9/10 and said:
Finally! A retirement ad that doesn’t lean on tired clichés or gentle piano music.
This one taps into a real, resonant insight: that retirement can be the start of a whole new chapter of fun. It flips the script with humour and charm, showing the tables turning in a way that feels both cathartic and cheekily aspirational. This one hits especially well for that sandwich generation (those of us juggling kids and ageing parents) because the scenarios are all too familiar.
I know I’ve asked my parents for support with the kids, only to get a last-minute excuse about needing to finish the gardening! But instead of fuelling frustration, this ad diffuses it. All-round feel-good, which is what makes it stick.
Irnin gave it a 7.5/10 and said:
I love a ‘third act’ story told with care — and finally, a retirement piece that doesn’t treat septuagenarians like props in a bingo ad. Levande’s traded nostalgia and frailty for vitality and quiet autonomy.
Sidestepping the tired retirement clichés (golf, beige pants, wistful stares at sunset), they’ve tapped into a quietly radical cultural truth. Life doesn’t shrink post-60.
There’s restraint in the execution, which is refreshing, but also a sense that it stops short of making a truly fresh cultural statement. The tone is gentle, but at times borders on bland. It’s solidly crafted and sentimentally on-point, but unlikely to spark new conversations about ageing.
As submitted to Lauren McNamara.
If you are a senior creative or strategist who would like to take part in a future Campaign Review, please email me at lmcnamara@mumbrella.com.au.
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the agency beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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topics
303 Mullenlowe Sydney
Amaysim
Campaign Review
Chello
Dentsu Creative
Irnin Khan
Levande
Macca's
Tristan Velasco
Wieden+Kennedy
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