Aussie icons star in Thinkerbell’s first work for Vegemite
Thinkerbell has launched its first work for Vegemite since winning the account from JWT after 74 years creating a ‘Tastes Like Australia’ campaign.
For its first campaign in six years, Vegemite’s ‘Tastes Like Australia’ advertising features legendary Australian icons including Pauline Hanson, The Big Prawn, Rebel Wilson and Ned Kelly.
The campaign aims to celebrate Australia’s diversity by showing a range of iconic faces and moments played in short snippets against the backdrop of a Vegemite jar.
Adam Ferrier, Jim Ingram and Ben Couzens, Thinkerbell’s co-founders, wanted the campaign to start a national conversation and help people think about what Australia means and tastes like.
“The ‘Tastes Like Australia’ campaign is topical, thought provoking and aims to promote a discussion about national pride, difference and unity. And while the intent of the campaign is clear, a true celebration and embrace of our unique nation and Vegemite, there is no doubt the interpretation of the creative elements, could spark some heated discussions.
“We live in a place full of beauty and prosper but when you think about it – it’s pretty quirky: supersized prawns and bananas, an intriguing and dynamic political environment, and the love of an underdog. These are all uniquely Australian… just like Vegemite,” Ferrier said in a statement.
Ingram said the ad is all about creating memorable and iconic moments in Australian history against the backdrop of a Vegemite jar.
“We hope the ad will elevate a discussion about Australianism and to be honest – it is all a bit of fun. When we became custodians of the iconic Vegemite brand, we knew we needed to handle it with care – along with the entire Bega portfolio. Through ‘Tastes Like Australia’, we hope we’ve done Vegemite and Australians proud by representing everything that makes up this great country.”
As part of the campaign a series of outdoor ads have also been created with various copy written on the Vegemite jar.
Each outdoor ad alludes to different Australian events, places and things, including when Mick Fanning punched a shark in the face during a surf competition.
The campaign is running across digital, TV, cinema and outdoor.
One of the outdoor executions
Matt Gray, marketing manager at Vegemite, added: “It’s important we recognise that Australia is a young, diverse and multi-cultured country with a significant proportion of Aussies not having grown up on the iconic spread. This insight alone paves the way for new thinking in marketing Vegemite and our other brands.
“The changing face of Australia is part of what makes our nation great, and we want to be in the homes of all Aussies, new and old. Through this campaign, we want to cement our place back on Australian kitchen tables and ensure we remain as iconic as ever. We see it as our responsibility to create new connections and moments in time between Vegemite, and all members of
this great nation.”
Vegemite appointed Thinkerbell five months ago after it parted ways from JWT after 74 years.
Adam Ferrier, Jim Ingram and Ben Couzens officially launched their own agency Thinkerbell in June last year hiring former MD of OMD Melbourne, Margie Reid, four months later.
Meanwhile, in August PwC took a minority stake in the creative agency.
Thinkerbell’s clients include 13Cabs, Our Watch, Vegemite and Sukin.
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FMCG work that’s engaging and all about the product. It’s not so hard.
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I love it! Thanks Vegemite, for making me laugh and love Australia even more. And guess what, I only moved here 6 years ago but I feel like an Aussie more than ever. Some of the stuff i don’t get, but i guess other people will.
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They also have this website where you can read about each thing in there:
https://tasteslikeaustralia.com.au/
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Great work, Thinkerbell. Good to see some great work coming out from a team of talented people, for an iconic Australian brand.
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What a true blue Aussie ad! Brilliant
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It was bad enough when NRMA insurance tried to own that time people pushed and tilted the train to help the person who had fallen off the platform into the gap. Now we have Vegemite trying to own Mick Fanning punching a shark.
This is galling.
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Love this work – its Aussie and it’s fresh. I almost don’t know what to think and therefore I really like it.
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Didn’t Bundy claim that?
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I think most consumers will find it pretty cringeworthy. It basically just spews out random Australian things that have happened in the past couple of decades. They even added in the drop bear…
Tastes like Australia? Tastes like a company pretending to be Australian.
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The positive comments here cant be for real. This is cringeworthy.
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I wanted to hate it when I read Pauline Hanson was in it but it’s great. Not just tired tropes about being Australian but diverse and fresh.
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Yep I like that.
Like the idea, but the execution of that TV ad made me vomit.
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Associating Vegimite with a racist bigot like Pauline Hanson – great stuff! Fantastic brand stewardship there…
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they are australian – it’s Bega – hence the Bega reference in the ad im guessing
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Nah, can’t buy any product associated with Pauline Hanson.
No more vegemite for me, alas.
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Awesome ! Well done guys it’s a ripper ad and brand .
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Two thumbs up! Just the right amount of nostalgia while remaining current and just a scrape of the political progressiveness the target market responds well to.
A well crafted spot. Let’s hope it gets the full run of 60″‘s it deserves!
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same tbh. i was pleasantly surprised.
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Exactly! The press release describes her as ‘a whole lot of wonderful’.
Although I do concede that supporting racism does ‘taste like Australia’, sadly.
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“Adam Ferrier, Jim Ingram and Ben Couzens, Thinkerbell’s co-founders, wanted the campaign to start a national conversation and help people think about what Australia means and tastes like.” – Calm down.. It’s Vegemite. Put it on toast.
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I’m pretty sure Vegemite is already fairly closely associated with Australia. Not sure what this ad is supposed to do.
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These comments are fake news.
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Tastes like astroturfing to control reacts.
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I’m no Consumer Psychologist, but associating ones brand to Pauline Hanson, even for comedic value, is surely a step too far.
I’m sure Brown Cardigan is currently creating an alternate version featuring the Hey Hey Blackface skit and other infamous memories of Straya behaving badly.
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Oh dear. This looks like a ‘made on a shoestring’ Gruen pitch ad that even Russell wouldn’t have voted for. Embarrassing.
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This is ace. Great bit of thinking and works across all channels.
Website is great too. Well done.
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You sir have nailed it.
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Doesn’t look cheesy and glossy and fake at all. Almost looks down to earth and Australian. How dare they.
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I worked on Vegemite at Mojo in the 90s.
JWT did NOT have it for 74 years.
Please stop making the win look so amazing.
Btw…this ad makes me cringe
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This ad has a simple but great concept that’s delivered with punch. The copy is well written and humorous without trying too hard to be hysterically funny. It’s memorable, perfectly encapsulates the irreverence of the Vegemite brand / ad history, and most importantly is pitched to its target audience. For mine that’ s the definition of great work.
I swear some of the folks here would only be happy with an end product that had the look and feel of an out-take from The Seventh Seal.
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@NS 101 Point proven!
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I absolutely love this – as will ‘the people’.
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Anyone who is offended or unimpressed by the execution of this ad is completely missing the point. Very good, very strayan, and love to see an ad that entertains.
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Tagline on point.
Outdoor works.
That video? Cringe…… if this is Australia it tastes bland AF.
Thinkerbell I may have mistakenly had higher expectations for you than others, and so I’m surprised that your take on Australia largely ignores the very best of us…which is diversity.
I kind of feel sad if this is an Australia people resonate with or are nostalgic about.
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Assuming those people are the real true blue ‘straya people, right?
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What a nice and playful TVC. It;s funny how critical people can be sometimes. This will make the everyday Australian smile – well i did anyway!
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The not enough diversity argument is stuff and nonsense. It’s an ad for Vegemite not a piece of social engineering. If you watched it without actively trying to find a lack of diversity in it would notice it features diversity.
Ah but you see what it needs to be truly reflective of Australia is an extended sequence of a burkha wearing Muslim on the beach eating Vegemite on toast. It needs a Somalian refuge trying Vegemite and loving it. It needs a non cis-gender family preferring Vegemite to weetbix. It needs a Vietnamese couple eating, it needs, it needs…
…It needs the devil playing chess with man on a beach reflecting on the futility of existence but then after eating Vegemite realising Vegemite offers solace in an otherwise indifferent universe.
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I’m no psychologist but normalising a horrible bigot like Pauline Hanson is never a good idea
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I can’t think of a brand more Aussie that Vegemite. Did people need to be reminded? Maybe Thinkerbell had research to say people did. Otherwise, what new thing do we feel or believe about Vegemite after watching these spots? Anybody?
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Tinkerbell got one thing right, the ad is thought provoking.
Made me when I was standing in the grocery shop isle, think about whether I wanted to spend my money on a product whose maker thinks it’s acceptable to use racist and divisive people in its advertising.
Unfortunately for them I’m keeping my money in my pocket.
And clearly there must be many other Australians doing exactly the same. I note they’ve showing a new version of the ad with the Hansen footage removed
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I didn’t like it. felt cheap.
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The real test will be if it helps sell more Vegemite, I think it will.
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Brilliant campaign straight to the point with humour, love it!
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Really liked the ad and the idea, sure it will sell lots of Vegemite, but putting Pauline Hanson in it is pretty depressing. She’s a dangerous racist and victim blamer – she incites hatred against people because of her *beliefs*. That’s the key takeout for me on this
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