Menulog Australia’s new Goldblum ad accused of ‘imitating’ Abbot Mead Vickers BBDO campaign
Five days after Menulog announced it had recruited Jeff Goldblum as the new face of the brand, and appointed Y&R Sydney to its creative account, the campaign’s main advertisement has been accused of imitating a 2015 ad for Currys PC World by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.
According to an article from Campaign UK, the campaign, which shows Goldblum giving advice about ordering food from the Menulog app, “imitates” an advertisement used at Christmas for Currys PC World.
The ads see Goldblum urging people to have ‘less talk’ and ‘more eat’ by using the app to order food in moments when silence is needed.
https://youtu.be/ihQhqTJ6DJ8
In Christmas 2015, #Spare the Act by Currys, created by AMV BBDO, featured Goldblum teaching people how to appear enthused in situations where they were actually disappointed.
The ad urged consumers to go to Currys PC to buy a present people would actually want.
https://youtu.be/C8k2ZtzpMns
https://youtu.be/bJxgGJbFeQc
In a statement on Campaign UK, Ian Pearman, chief executive of AMV BBDO said: “Well I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but if Menulog like this kind of work, perhaps they’d like to get it fresh from us rather than second-hand from their current agency.”
Tasman Page, head of marketing at Menulog told Mumbrella:”We’ve gone through the full creative process to come to the original ‘Less Talk, More Eat’ concept.
“The brief was to get more people off the phone, and ordering delivery online. This campaign meets this perfectly. Jeff does have a very distinct character and this is why we engaged him for this particular campaign.
“He brought a lot to the scripts and we’re very happy with the end result. Our customers are telling us they love the ads and Jeff.”
Sasha Firth, managing director at Y&R Sydney added: “One of the reasons we picked Jeff Goldblum is that he has a powerful persona that shines through in all his performances in films and commercials.
“That is true of his work for Menulog, Curry’s, apartments.com and other spots he has filmed. In doing this work, we were clearly fans of Jeff Goldblum, and wrote to be consistent with his ‘character’ and strengths.
“The requirement to set this in ‘real life’ situations where people would order takeaway also dictated the approach. Beyond this, silence is Goldblum,” Firth said.
Rip off
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Absolute shocker. Aussie Ad Agency lifts idea from UK!
Isn’t that what we do at Ad agencies, watch other adverts from around the world and rip them off? Or is that supposed to be a secret?
I thought this was pretty funny and well scripted which is all that matters at the end of the day. Right?
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I hear what you’re saying, but I’d counter; the Menulog ads are actually good.
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It’s not just the use of Jeff. Both ads have the same setup. Jeff, giving advice to a couple, who’re sat on a couch in a living room.
If it was Jeff in a jungle talking to a lone hiker, well maybe…
… but there is very little NOT similar.
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Don’t see the passing off…..do see Jeff Goldblum ads.
Check him out in Amy Schumer’s 12 Angry Men. JG doing what JG does.
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I love the Menulog ads. I do feel a little saddened they are such a direct steal. Not that the Curry’s ads are wildly original. I mean, the notion of a quirky character unexpectedly appearing out of nowhere in the middle of a domestic situation to solve a problem in an entertaining way is hardly novel.
It took me about 8 seconds to find this example
https://youtu.be/eUQ8tl5EdbQ
The business world in Australia is so risk averse, that presenting an already successful ad might be the only way to get a green light these days.
It’s just the snake having another bite of its own tail, I suppose.
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This is great work! Y&R finally do something amazing for Australia and you take them down… How about we all give ourselves a break and thank the lord that an App company did a TV ad??? You might even get to make one too if your play nice
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…for your input
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