Kekovich spruiks lamb for Coles, McDonald’s and MLA in ‘Austraioli’ Day blitz
Sam Kekovich is to appear in three separate Australia Day advertising campaigns this year.
The former Australian rules player is Meat & Livestock Australia’s long-standing lamb spokesman.
But this year, as well as spruiking lamb in his now annual MLA Australia Day address, Kekovich will also be appearing in ads for McDonald’s and Coles.
In the Coles ad – created by Big Red – Kekovich appears with chef Curtis Stone to promote lamb burgers. Kekovich delivers the line “Holy moly, mint aioli. Happy Austraioli Day”.
The McDonald’s ad – created by DDB – features Kekovich at the drive through ordering a BBQ lamb burger.The ad is the latest part of the chain’s Australia Day campaign which has seen certain branches rebranded as “Macca’s”.
(McDonald’s ad courtesy of Ebiquity)
And in the BMF-created Australia Day ad, which launched last week, Kekovich suffers from “Lambnesia”.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Don’t forget Woolies as well
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OHH!!!! This Kekovich guy is a “former Australian rules player”. I had no idea who he was for all these years and anyone I asked didn’t know either. Guess he isn’t just some annoying guy screaming at me to buy lamb. He’s actually some annoying former football player screaming at me to buy lamb. Thanks Mumbrella for clearing that up.
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ah it’s like a meat based agencie ménage à trois
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Sam is such a media wh*** !!
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How about a Kekovich ad with the Madden brothers!
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Leave the animals to live and have a vegetarian Australia day. Everyone deserves a day off says Animals Australia http://www.animalsaustralia.org/ and that is a great ad re Australia Day on their site.
Lets the lambs and cattle graze – don’t eat them.
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Methinks Sam may be eating slightly too much lamb. He seems to have more ‘presence’ these days.
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There’s a sad desperation to this character and campaign.
Some guy who does a Les Patterson party-piece that is never funny – but his family told him it is – tries to appeal to a dwindling demographic of equally sad people who are probably a brick short of a load and socially inept.
Nothing wrong with that – there’s someone for everyone – but it’s really a step back into the 1970s when retailers did their own commercials and fed their gargantuan egos on the recognition.
Perhaps if they spent a bit more money on comedy writers who know their stuff, it wouldn’t be such an embarrassment.
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Maybe if you looked at the amazing numbers behind the success of Sam and lamb, you would have a cavernous insight into why everyone has jumped on board.
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The MLA campaign has been running for years now. Hence, Kekovich is now pretty much short-hand for lamb at this time of year. Doesn’t it make sense for other brands to leverage his lambyness when pushing their own lamb-barrows? They get years of goodwill for authenticity and the MLA get a Coles and Maccas sized media budget. Oh, and Sam gets new teeth. Feels like a win-win to me.
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All very sad and I think we need to put a search out for Elle McFeast who first discovered this nitwit. Both are decades out of date and the campaign is a load of bulldust and sheeps..t.
Farm gate prices of lamb and beef are way below a couple of years back and farmers pockets are empty. Fat cats at MLA and their fellow travellers enjoy this rubbish as they are not accountable for anything, least of all, the lousy price paid to the meat producers at the end of the line.
Cannot wait for all this garbage to float down the canal to the tip. I do not watch any TV ads unless it is to check up on Meat & Livestock Australia wasting more producer money.
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That Coles ad has more tools in it than a Bunnings ad. Sam K and Curtis Stone would have to be two of THE MOST irritating and banal people on television. And why the MLA thinks Sam is a good ambassador for lamb I’ll never know.
And while we’re at it… Austraoli?! WTF?? Add that to the long list of idiotic lamb based words that have been made up please.
I think I’ll be eating a chicken dish cooked by Guy Grossi out the front of a Woolies on Australia Day.
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Cynics, we’re selling barbecue chops.
Or trying to, despite the vegetarian lobby (#6 above) exhorting us to “lets the lamb and cattle graze” (and eat soy sausages and nutburgers, presumably).
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WEho won the sam and lamb competition anyway???
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