‘Let’s not get into religion at the table’: Jesus, Ganesha and L Ron Hubbard come together for Spring Lamb campaign
Gods, goddesses, religious figures and aliens are all sharing lamb in a non-religious woman’s backyard in Meat & Livestock Australia’s Spring Lamb push which positions lamb as the meat which more people can eat.
Islam’s Muhammad is noticeably absent from the backyard gathering, with Jesus questioning why the prophet can’t make an appearance.
The non-religious host then clarifies Muhammad is doing the “day care pick-up”.
Throughout the proceedings, Jesus turns wine into water – “a reverse miracle” – for Aphrodite, Zeus receives an eggplant emoji message on his phone and L Ron Hubbard reveals he sacrificed dinner with Tom Cruise to be there. Hubbard is also told not to “get into religion at the table” when he tries to convert famous attendees to Scientology.
The host – who notes ‘no religion’ is the fastest-growing religion in Australia according to the most recent Census data – says catering for everyone’s dietary requirements was a nightmare, before toasting to “Lamb. The meat we can all eat”.
Andrew Howie, group marketing manager at MLA, said the ad continues with the idea that lamb can bring people from all walks of life together.
“Since the late 1980s lamb has proved itself as the meat that brings people together. More recently under the banner of ‘You Never Lamb Alone’ we have continued to push the creative boundaries,” he said.
“In this latest campaign we are showing no matter your beliefs, background or persuasion, the one thing we can all come together and unite over, is lamb.”
The campaign will roll out across TV, out-of-home, a bespoke digital media partnership and as long-form film content.
MLA is partnering with Pedestrian Group to help inspire young Australians to cook with lamb. Content, recipe inspiration and competitions centred around lamb will be included in the new partnership.
Scott Nowell, chief creative officer at The Monkeys, said: “It’s a reality of modern Australia that people of all faiths and backgrounds can get along around a table; coming together to celebrate what unites us as a nation. And, lamb lovers have taught us that we should try to do it more often.”
Credits:
- MLA Group Marketing Manager: Andrew Howie
- MLA Brand Manager – Lamb: Matthew Dwyer
- Advertising Agency: The Monkeys
- Media Agency: UM
- PR Agency: One Green Bean
- The Monkeys
- Chief Creative Officer/ Co-founder: Scott Nowell
- Creative Director: Scott Dettrick
- Creative team: Tim Pashen and Scott Zuliani
- Head of planning: Michael Hogg
- Planner: Charlotte Marshall
- Head of production: Thea Carone
- Senior Producer: Jade Rodriguez
- Managing Director: Matt Michael
- Group Content Director: Humphrey Taylor
- Senior Content Director: Katie Wong-Hee
- Content Manager: Victoria Zourkas
- UM
- Client Group Director: Mike Worden
- Senior Client Director: Ed Passerotti
- Client Manager: Jacqui Ollevou
- Strategy Director: David Toussaint
- Senior Connections Designer: Ashleigh Vogel
- Partnerships Director: Simon Turner
- Partnerships Manager: Jessica Ngu
- Partnership Trader: Emily Ng
- Production Company, Revolver
- Director: Steve Rogers
- DOP: Peter James
- EP: Pip Smart
- Edit House, Arc
- Editor: Pete Sciberras
- Post VFX: Fin
- VFX Supervisors: Justin Bromley & Richard Betts
- Sound: Song Zu
- Engineer: Simon Kane
- PR – One Green Bean
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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oh my God, that’s awful
they’ve utterly lost their way – too interested in attempting to make some more social commentary.
self indulgent, laboured and not funny
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Absolute filth.
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I really liked it. Needed a few more lamb shots – but it left me with a positive feeling. No colanders?
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Miss me yet?
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Could this have been the inspo? (Somewhat NSFW)
http://www.theonion.com/articl.....mage-29553
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What a load of self indulgent tosh.
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At least 90 seconds longer than it needed to be to get “the joke” across.
Yes, yes, so provocative yet at the same time inclusive, just make it good next time please.
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If anything I’m anti-religous and I still found this cringe worthy in its deliberate ploy to be disrespectful of people equally of all faiths. The folk that most vehemently believe in the various deities depicted believe in them both sincerely and to the exclusion of the other gods… and an ad for lamb isn’t the place to point out that an atheist believes in one less god than theists who disbelieve in every other god seated around the table but their own.
Satire isn’t cute or kind and the real elephant in the room is the fact that including an image of Mohammed could have resulted in more than lamb getting carved up this spring.
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Lost me at “what religion are you?”. Ironically, it smacks of an evangelism campaign for the no-religion religion. Unsubtle.
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Waiting for the outrage for the Mohammed school pick up joke. A poke at his marrying an underage girl?
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MLA using levies to fund absolute mind-numbing rubbish…always a danger in trying to go for hilarity as an emotion, and it appears MLA has missed the mark – in an effort to go for something bold and daring, this has fallen flat.
Please send through the completion rates, or lack thereof…..
The product mention only comes after about 2 minutes by which time most would have dropped out…. surely a farmer paying a levy wouldn’t be concerned about that at all?
Did anyone client-side dare to ask the question of how this would be campaignable in short form content?
And… last time I checked a large proportion of Buddhists and Hindus didn’t eat meat…… so aside from completion rates, and whatever you think of the engagement rate through the piece, the whole premise is factually incorrrect
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Sneeringly parody Christian and Hindu Gods, but when it comes to representing Mohammed, oh no, [edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy] haven’t got the balls. I wonder why? How pathetic.
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I was going to call it a Wide … but it didn’t even land anywhere near the pitch. Even John Howard would have a better chance of hitting the target than this mutton.
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This ad is representative of what is wrong with contemporary advertising. When all other creative approaches are beyond imagination, all that’s left is the vulgar shock of deconstruction.
Do people actually get paid for this mindless corporate excrement?
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this is what happens when vegetarians make an ad for meat. total turn-off.
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“Islam’s Muhammad is noticeably absent from the backyard gathering”
Hmm, gee, I wonder why?
To all the creators of this ad, if you’re going to try and be controversial for ratings, and take aim at religions, at least be inclusive of all in the name of fairness. Taking cheap shots at all other religions, with the clear exclusion of one, is cowardly and goes to show there isn’t a courageous or creative bone in you at all. This is beyond pathetic. Get back into your workshop rooms and do something worthwhile.
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Can someone enlighten me (no pun intended) on who the Geisha-looking deity is supposed to be, the one where they go “she probably has more followers than anyone”?
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This would be good if they had remembered to make it funny. Instead it just feels awkward.
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You’re absolutely correct, it’s hypocritical how the Western Media conveniently tip-toes around Islam but finds it acceptable to ridicule and insult other faiths.
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what’s Ironic is that the brain dead scientologists still left in their cult will see this as some kind of legimisation … they’ll probably use it in their own promomotions.
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I find this ad extremely offensive. Do you really think people of faith don’t hate this sort of religious bigotry! Leaving out media darling mohammed just makes it worse – you cowards! NEVER eating lamb again it would make me spew
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Thanks for your article.
Abigail, I was watching the project in channel 10 tonight. I saw the Lamb association has this ad find attached the link. It using our Lord Ganesh to promote eating Lamb.
I also think religions should never be exploitated by the Lamb association, I just hope the religions bodies should
complain the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) for complaints about billboards, in print, on television, or on the radio and get this
Latest contravensional Lamb advertisement banned and taken of Air and also sue the Lamb association for damages all the religions it misrepresented.
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Outraged! Are we able to sue these people who to me is causing absolute disrespect and blatantly ignoring peoples sensitivity? Hindus and Buddhists forbid eating meat however relaxed as we believe killing or promoting killing of other animals brings about negative energy or karma. Humans have vegeterian options when comes to nutrition requirement. How can we really sleep peacefully with so many animals being killed and mistreated to cater for our meat hunger. People should look onto the animals eyes next time thought of consuming them comes to thier mind.
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By the Gods! It’s terrible.
Like, what level of humour is this supposed to be? Really? It’s not edgy enough to be edgy, and it’s not outwardly funny enough to be funny. It’s just… awkward.
A part of me wants to know what the original concept was like before it was no doubt watered down clientside but regardless, it’s still really poorly executed. The timing’s all weird. The conversation is trying so hard to be natural and inclusive it ends up anything but. It’s overlong and generally plays out like a local short film festival entry. The “lamb, the meat we can all eat” line is actually properly gross as well. Even avid meat eaters surely would find this offputting.
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The Client and The Agencies just got lazy and yes, shoehorned something into a tired old concept. No real life experience, instead relying on”no religion is the fastest growing religion in Australia…recently published census data”. Sounds like the Planners all had their heads up their own proverbials, the Creatives wanted to gain notoriety and the Account Directors were too scared to say anything.
Oh and by the way, I think it should be taken off air and all other media because it offended me as an Australian and as a Hindu and as a vegetarian.
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Surely there would have been a better way to show that lamb can enjoyed by Australians without resorting to use of religious mockery. Portraying Australia as a predominantly non-religious country has no relevance to who enjoys lamb also. Keep political and religious commentary out of advertising. It is not clever or creative at all and never ends well.
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You know what , Ganesha says the wise words for MLA “We need a better markting team”
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Buddhists are not required to be vegetarians. If you are going to be outraged over an ad, at least get it right.
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You people should lighten up. This is very clever. You just don’t like your “bull” being gored….
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