Nominees for ARIA’s adland award revealed
Bliss n Eso in the nominated Menulog campaign from Thinkerbell (Youtube)
The nominees for the 2025 ARIA Awards have been revealed, including the annual Best Use of an Australian Recording in an Advertisement award.
The award serves as an extension of ‘Our Soundtrack Our Stories’, a program launched in 2021 to promote the use of Australian music across the local business and media landscape.
The nominees for the 2025 edition are Fox Sports Australia, Thinkerbell, Paramount+ Australia, and Publicis Worldwide.
The first shortlisted campaign comes from Fox Sports Australia, featuring Australian band 3%, set to their 2025 song “Our Greats”. The campaign celebrates First Nation sporting icons, including Cathy Freeman, Ash Barty, Patty Mills, and Lionel Rose.
View this post on Instagram
Meanwhile, Thinkerbell has received two nominations. The first is for Menulog’s “What’s Good in Your Hood” campaign features Aussie hip-hop legends Bliss n Eso, which featured a custom-made track celebrating Australia’s diverse food culture.
The second is for an iteration of the revived “I Feel Like a Tooheys” jingle from 1979, with a collaboration between Tooheys and indie band Dune Rats. The beer brand supported Dune Rats on tour, with the campaign aiming to highlight the vital role Aussie culture plays at the heart of its identity.
Of the jingle, Thinkerbell’s Jim Ingram said in 2023: “We’re proud to have had a hand in creating a contemporary remake of this classic brand platform that so many Australians have grown up with and loved, while also reflecting the heritage of the Tooheys brand.”
Paramount+ Australia has been shortlisted for its use of Briggs’ “Ballad of the GOATS” in the “Mountain of Football” campaign, which debuted during the AFL Grand Final last year.
View this post on Instagram
Finally, Publicis Worldwide’s nominated campaign for Tourism & Events Queensland, “That Holiday Feeling”, featured up-and-comer Kita Alexander, singing a reimagined version of Madonna’s hit “Holiday”.
“‘Holiday’ is undoubtedly such an iconic song. It’s a song that everyone knows, that cuts through and really gets stuck in your head,” TEQ’s CEO, Craig Davidson, told Mumbrella upon the campaign’s launch in April. “It’s bright and upbeat and we are that as a state. We wanted a song that reflects Queensland’s personality, and the words and lyrics in the song align with that perfectly.”
Enjoying Mumbrella? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
The inaugural award in 2023 was split into two categories — advertisements over two minutes and under two minutes. Innocean Australia and the Australian Marine Conservation Society won the over two minute category, while 72andSunny, Campfire X, and Google’ took home the two minutes or less category.
In 2024, it was consolidated to just one award, won by Bolster Group and Publicis Groupe for the Cancer Council’s “End The Trend” campaign, featuring Indigenous artist JK-47.
The role Australian artists can play in shaping brand narratives and cultural moments has never been more critical, according to ARIA’s chief executive officer, Annabelle Herd.
“If I had one piece of advice for a brand looking to make a real impact in domestic culture, it’s to think local,” she in a media release earlier this year.
“We are at pivotal point in Australian culture right now, and Australian music is an incredibly powerful pathway for brands who need to create meaningful stories that shift Australian consumers into fans.”
The ARIA Awards will return to Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on November 19th, supported by Spotify. Through a partnership with Paramount, the 2025 edition will return to Channel 10, and will be streamed live on Paramount+.
Our Soundtrack Our Ads: Best Use of an Australian Recording in an Advertisement Nominees
- “Fox League 2025: Our Greats” – Fox Sports Australia, 3%
- “Menulog: What’s Good in Your Hood” – Thinkerbell, Bliss n Eso
- “Paramount+ Australia: Ballad of the GOATS” – Paramount+ Australia, Briggs
- “Tooheys: I Feel Like a Tooheys” – Thinkerbell, Dune Rats
- “Tourism & Events Queensland: That Holiday Feeling” – Publicis Worldwide, Kita Alexander
Related Content
SUBSCRIBE
Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.
