Campaign Review: The verdict on Koala, Ad Standards, Luv-a-Duck and Medibank

Brand: Ad Standards
Campaign: Kinder Conditions
Agency: Loud Communications
The verdict: Could have gone further

Michelle Walsh, creative director at Leo Burnett Melbourne, says:

“Provocative as these ads are, I think the writing could have been pushed even further, particularly in the TV spot, which is weak in comparison to the press ads. But I guess the bigger shame here is that Ad Standards had to do a campaign like this in the first place.

Sometimes, the lack of diversity in advertising isn’t due to a lack of trying. Case in point: I produced a TV spot a few years ago showing two women in bed together (doing pretty much nothing I might add) and consumers made it one of the most complained about ads of the year.

It seems you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t, but as the Ad Standards campaign suggests, we can always be kinder and I think, as an industry, it’s our responsibility.”

Rating: 5/10

Dom Hickey, head of planning at DDB Sydney, says:

“This seems like a very confusing way to tackle a huge issue. The headlines make you look twice but there’s a huge ask on the audience to interpret what they need to do or how their action will help.”

Rating: 4/10

Brand: Medibank
Campaign: ‘Live Better’
Agency: TBWA Melbourne
The verdict: Guilt trip with a twist

Walsh says:

“I saw this on telly the other night and it definitely got my attention. I was thinking, “who does this obnoxious kid think she is laying a guilt trip on her mum like that?” Then came the reveal and I thought: “Hmmm… nicely done, you got me.”

I do wonder if this campaign will be successful in changing behaviour though because while it gives parents permission to be selfish, it’s fighting against our natural instincts to always put our kids first (or, in my case, fur babies). But, at the end of the day, does it really matter? Medibank is shining a light on the importance of self-care at a time when it’s never been more relevant, and that’s enough to make me feel good about them.”

Rating: 7/10

Hickey says:

“I’m on the fence with this one. There’s a pointy insight hiding under the execution but it comes across as a little preachy without power in the payoff. It’s true to the brand but it doesn’t land the message at the end. I think most of the target audience will be up in arms over the narrative of ‘guilt’ rather than taking out the intended message. If the intent was to inspire change then maybe dad could be cooking while mum goes for a run (or vice-a-versa). Having the whole family at home boot camp felt a bit of a stretch and for me it made the insight come unstuck.”

Rating: 5/10

Brand: Luv-A-Duck
Campaign: Simply Impressive
Agency: Disegno
The verdict: ‘If you’re going to do pop culture, do it properly’

Walsh says:

“I love a good pop culture reference but sadly, this one misses the mark. Unlike the duck, which looks perfectly cooked, the ad just feels a little half-baked. I mean, how can you reference that iconic Say Anything movie scene and not use the Peter Gabriel track? I’m tipping it was a budgetary issue but I think if you’re going to do pop culture, do it properly. Otherwise, leave it alone.

I’d be interested to know who they’re trying to target with this one, too. I assume it’s children of the 80s like me because I’m not sure anyone younger than 30 will be familiar
with this reference. They probably don’t even know what a boombox is! The ad’s saving grace though is that even if you don’t know the reference, the message is still a pretty easy one to understand.”

Rating: 4/10

Hickey says:

“Mmmm, as an 80s movie fan this reference really passed me by. Entertainment Weekly ranks the flick as one of the ‘greatest modern movie romances of all time’ so I may be on my own. But that’s the trouble with pop culture references, if you need to explain them, they just don’t land. It runs the risk of excluding anyone who doesn’t ‘get’ the reference. For fans of the film using the original track could have made this work harder (I’m assuming the alternative track was a budget call). Maybe it will hold a special place in the hearts of duck eaters who love rom-coms? It gets some points for being WTF.”

Rating: 6/10

Brand: Koala
Campaign: How good are sickies?
Agency: In-house
The verdict: Cheesy, entertaining and on-brand

Walsh says:

“Despite the obvious Sam Kekovich Lambassador vibes, I don’t mind this campaign.

“It’s the accompanying press release that perplexes me. Here I was thinking the ad was appealing to my Aussie sensibilities, encouraging me to take more sickies so I could spend more time in my comfy-ass Koala bed. Job done! But after reading the press release, I discovered the ad was supposed to be about destigmatising taking a sickie for your mental health. I think this is a great idea – I just don’t get anything about mental health in the ad itself. It also raises a few questions. If the aim of the ad is to destigmatise mental health, why not mention it? And why give people a raft of excuses to help them cover it up? Shouldn’t “I need a mental health day” be enough of an excuse? I for one would love to get to a place where that’s all that needs to be said in order to get a day off.”

Rating: 6/10

Hickey says:

“I’m sure people will hate this ad, but I think that’s half the point. It’s cheesy, entertaining and on brand.

Koala’s in-house team have done a stellar job of building a provocative, disruptive brand that’s not afraid to have fun. As their first integrated campaign it does a good job of making the transition from tactical OOH and social to screen.

There are shades of Dollar Shave Club in the ad and it’s not a new idea, this won’t make it less engaging, irritating or memorable to the target audience. The product features take more of a back seat in this execution, but the brand feels established enough to do so. I hope they sell a ton of mattresses.”

Rating: 7/10

• As told to Zoe Wilkinson. If you’re a senior creative or strategist who would like to take part in a future Campaign Review, please email zoew@mumbrella.com.au

Zoe Wilkinson

Zoe Wilkinson was a reporter at Mumbrella and the producer of the Mumbrellacast from March 2019 to May 2021.

topics ad standards Campaign Review DDB Sydney Disegno Dom Hickey koala Leo Burnett Melbourne Loud Communications Luv-A-Duck Medibank Michelle Walsh TBWA Melbourne

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Comments: 1

Nicola 8 Aug 19

I’m surprised by the Luv-A-Duck responses. I haven’t seen the movie, nor do I associate the scene in the ad with the movie. However, standing under your crush’s window with a boombox, CD player, violinist etc. in movies and TV shows is such a pop culture norm is it not?!

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