Sam Kekovich brings back his Australia Day address – for petfood
Sam Kekovich may have been reduced to a cameo in the latest Australia Day lamb ad, but the man whose angry rant started an advertising tradition has returned to his roots to help flog lamb to dogs.
Sam Kekovich wants dogs to enjoy lamb on Australia Day
Kekovich’s angry rants on The Footy Show were appropriated by ad agency BMF in 2005 for the first Australia Day ad set to the backdrop of an Australian flag and the national anthem, and he has reprised the theme for Advance Pet Foods.
“Dogs of Australia, don’t let your proprietor buy you anything but Advance Lamb Super Premium Pet Food this Australia Day,” Kekovich says as Advance Australia Fair plays in the background in a replication of his original ad.
“My little Aussie battlers will accept nothing less from me.”
The former footballer warns that serving pets anything else “would be poor form and Un-Australian”.
“You deserve the best, no ifs, ands or mutts.”
He ends the ad, created by video production agency This Is My Life, with almost exactly the same call to action as in the original lamb ad.
“Tell your master that dogs without lamb on Australia Day will be barking mad. You know it makes sense. I’m Sam Kekovich.”
Kekovich told Mumbrella he was happy to reprise the original work he did for Lamb, but admitted it was something that could only be done once or twice, but he went with his “gut feel”.
“Why should we deprive our best friends, our extended family, pets, our dogs in particular, the nourishment of enjoying lamb. It all made a lot of sense to me,” Kekovich said.
“I’ve never been fearful of any of the roadblocks or anything else that may evolve, I just go with my gut feeling and I thought I reckon I know the marketplace pretty well and I know most Australians fairly well.”
Kekovich’s original ad put the Lamb Australia Day commercials on the map, with some parts of the public criticising it for its jingoistic approach to marketing where he complained of Australian traditions being undermined by the rise of foreign foods and vegetarians.
“Do you think the diggers in the trenches were fighting for tofu sausages,” he said in the ad.
Kekovich also told Mumbrella he was pleased with the way MLA had handled the latest campaign which makes no mention of Australia day and focused on the idea that all Australians are boat people.
But he warned that if he saw the campaign he helped to popularise move too far he would speak up.
“I’m very happy with it… it’s the evolving face of the new landscape of Australia and it sets a bright light on the diverse face of our nation,” he said.
“I’m happy to be the Lambassador and when I think its going over the edge and not fulfilling its true role well then I’ll certainly say something and I’ll certainly make sure the world at large will be aware of it. But at the moment I think we are certainly on the right track and ticking all the right boxes.”
