‘Their best work is also ahead of them’: Farewelling The Monkeys
Sunday marked the official return of Droga5 to the ANZ market, and the sad end to The Monkeys brand. As the agency ushers in a new era, to commemorate, Mumbrella looks back on 18 stand out campaigns from the past 18 years.
Launched in 2006 as Three Drunk Monkeys, the agency helmed by Mark Green, Justin Drape, and Scott Nowell quickly picked up speed. The agency was built of the premise of “creating ideas worth talking about”, with a view that connecting clients to customers didn’t always require traditional advertising.
In 2011, it rebranded to The Monkeys, before being acquired in 2017 by Accenture Interactive (now Accenture Song).
“Some folks close to us argued that naming the agency Three Drunk Monkeys was an act of nihilistic lunacy… but we couldn’t expect clients to be brave and trust their instincts if we weren’t willing to trust our own,” Justin Drape, co-founder of the agency, explained.
In 2021, The Monkeys expanded into New Zealand, and now, in 2024, it has merged with sister agency Droga5.
Mark Green, co-founder and CEO of The Monkeys, has been made the new global CEO of Droga5, while Bronwyn van der Merwe and Matt Michael have been appointed to replace him as CEOs of Accenture Song and Droga5, respectively.
Green described this new era as a “big moment” and a “very exciting opportunity for the team”.
“We have always wanted to make sure that our people feel like they can make the best work of their careers at The Monkeys,” he said. “And this has been the case for many years. Now with the transition to Droga5 they can also have the confidence that their best work is also ahead of them. And, I am excited to lead the team into this new era.”
Co-founder of The Monkeys, Scott Nowell, said: “I’m immensely proud of what The Monkeys have achieved and came to represent, but it was never the name that defined the place, it was the people. Those incredible people will now define what the next chapter looks like too.”
To celebrate The Monkeys’ incredible efforts of the past 18 years, Mumbrella is taking a look back at 18 standout pieces of work.
Sydney Opera House – ‘Play It Safe’
The Sydney Opera House released a special musical tribute to mark 50 years of bravery, creativity, and wonder at the world’s most celebrated cultural landmark. Play It Safe was written and composed by Australian singer Tim Minchin as an ironic salute to the bold, visionary experiment that became the Opera House. The song is a musical homage to a building that tested the limits of engineering and design, forever changing the face of Sydney. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Kim Gehrig and produced by Revolver, the epic music video featured Australian artists and arts companies who share an enduring connection with the Opera House.
NRMA Insurance – ‘A Help Company’
For almost 100 years, NRMA Insurance has provided help to Australians, becoming our most trusted insurer. But high prices amid cost-of-living pressures saw retention and market share decline. As the brand looked towards the next century, The Monkeys led a business transformation that saw the brand redefine their commitment to Australians not just as a leading insurer, but as A Help Company. Internally, this unlocked numerous initiatives, from a refreshed digital experience to a national disaster preparedness program and new drone-based roof safety service. After the launch in June, 46% of customers joining NRMA Insurance in the past year cited the new platform and communications as part of the reason for joining.
Government of Tuvalu – ‘First Digital Nation’
The Monkeys helped low-lying Pacific nation Tuvalu respond to the threat of rising sea levels with a radical solution that allows them to remain a country – even when their land disappears under the waves. The First Digital Nation recreates the country’s physical land digitally and moves the nation into the metaverse. It’s a bold, provocative appeal for sovereignty and global action on climate, announced during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) by Tuvalu minister Simon Kofe. By combining creative thinking with technology to communicate Tuvalu’s message to 2.1 billion people, we didn’t just revolutionise the metaverse as a tool to preserve island nations’ history and culture; a historic Loss and Damages Fund was also approved during COP27.
ASB – ‘Benee Bagels’
As part of ASB’s commitment to supporting more young people with their mental wellbeing, The Monkeys created a song that is scientifically designed to help when you feel anxious. The agency paired pop star Benee with neuroscientists from Auckland University of Technology to produce the track using musical elements such as key, tempo and chord structure that are scientifically proven to relieve anxiety. The music video also incorporated anxiety-relieving principles like Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EDMR), a powerful therapeutic tool used in the treatment of trauma.
Uluru Statement from the Heart – ‘You’re The Voice’
Australia voted in a referendum for the first time in a generation to decide if they should change the constitution to recognise Indigenous Australians with a Voice to Parliament. In support of the Yes campaign, The Monkeys enlisted the help of John Farnham and Australia’s unofficial anthem ‘You’re the Voice’ to reset the national conversation.
Telstra – ‘This Is Footy Country’
Footy lives in the country. It’s where the sport is purest, the players are toughest, and entire towns are built around the field. Along with Telstra, a 20-year sponsor of the NRL and AFL, The Monkeys decided it was about time someone celebrated that special relationship. The film launched during the 2023 footy finals and people loved it. In post-campaign brand tracking, over 55% of respondents said it ‘was the best ad they had ever seen’.
Macpac – ‘Weather Anything’
The campaign thrust a small New Zealand outfitter on to the globe stage, winning a Cannes Lion, Four Gold Pencils at AWARD, and a host of other accolades in the process. The work draws on classic advertising product demonstration techniques and molds them flawlessly with modern, understated Kiwi humour to create something both effortless and effective.
UN Women Australia – ‘Equality: Our Final Frontier’
Global gender equality is still 132 years away. Which means humans will walk on Mars, have brain enhancements, elevators to space, and a colony on the Moon all before women are equal on Earth. The Monkeys questioned the world’s priorities by contrasting real projections of scientific and technological advancements with the projected date of global gender equality. The agency’s eerie animated film follows a young woman as she leaves a protest in 2022, and travels through a future that progresses in every area except equality.
Qantas – ‘I Still Call Australia Home’
To celebrate Qantas’ return to international travel and Australia reuniting with the world post-Covid, this three-minute film revisited the iconic anthem ‘I still call Australia home’, showcasing Australian and international destinations as well as famous Australians Kylie Minogue, Adam Goodes, Hugh Jackman, Troye Sivan, Bronte Campbell and Ellie Cole, alongside the children’s choir, Bangarra dance group and Qantas staff. The story also paid tribute to Qantas’ 100-year journey as the Spirit of Australia. Out of a testing time for the airline post lockdown, the film celebrated the resilience of the Australian spirit and the joy in finally being ‘Together once more’.
Telstra – ‘Australia is Why’
Australians love to complain about Telstra, our national telco. So much so, that it unfairly drowns out all the good Telstra does for the country. And there’s a lot. So, The Monkeys set out to tell the story of what they do, and just as importantly, why they do it. The new brand platform kicked off with film and outdoor, followed by the generous act of turning Telstra’s 14K payphones across the country into free phones.
Berlei – ‘Boob Balls’
Berlei launched its Spring Summer 18’ Sport collection with a provocative campaign via The Monkeys, demonstrating the impact different sports have on women’s breasts when they are not wearing a supportive sports bra. It’s been reported that an astounding 43% of women are unaware that not wearing the right bra while exercising can contribute to breast tissue damage that can cause breast sagging later in life. The campaign, ‘Stop Your Boobs Playing Their Own Game’, spoke to women of all ages, with a range of different breast sizes who play all kinds of sport. It aimed to empower women to care for and invest in themselves by choosing the right sports bra for their chosen sport or favourite type of exercise.
Meat & Livestock Australia – ‘Celebrate Australia’
MLA and The Monkeys launched a Lamb campaign with an epic lamb barbecue celebrating the diverse mob who’ve come together here to make Australia the best place on earth.
Meat & Livestock Australia – ‘Richie’s BBQ’
This spot featured legendary Australian cricketer and commentator Richie Benaud, enlisting the help of a pantheon of national icons, to encourage Aussies to get together over lamb on Australia Day, because as everybody knows – you never lamb alone.
IKEA and Airbnb – ‘Sleeping In The IKEA Store’
In what was the first Airbnb collaboration in the world, The Monkeys helped IKEA turn the spotlight on its bedrooms and bathrooms by allowing Aussie families to spend the night in the furniture chain’s Sydney store at Tempe. The work picked-up global attention across Time Magazine, Daily Mail and Huffington Post among others.
NRL – ‘Straight In Your Eyes’
With the NRL season set to kick off, Telstra launched a new ad campaign for its NRL Digital Pass featuring current players and legends ‘hamming it up’ to an original song ‘Straight in Your Eyes’. The ad, created in the style of a glam rock music video, was created by The Monkeys and directed by Owen Trevor at Rabbit Content.
Intel – ‘Intelligent Sounds’
The Monkeys collaborated with Flume and Finch to create this experimental piece for Intel – a sound and light installation performed by a robot they built and a band of Intel-powered tablets. The original composition was created by Flume and released on his deluxe edition album.
Sydney Opera House – ‘The Ship Song’
The Monkeys pulled together a stellar line-up of talent to celebrate Australia’s most iconic building. The ad took 10 months to produce and included such luminaries as Neil Finn, Kev Carmody, Sarah Blasko, Angus and Julia Stone, Paul Kelly, Temper Trap, Martha Wainwright, Katie Noonan and Daniel Johns all performing the Nick Cave classic ‘The Ship Song’.
OAK – ‘Kill Hungry Thirsty Dead’
Parmalat’s Oak milk drink launched its first ad campaign from Three Drunk Monkeys, featuring an aggressive front man explaining the concept of ‘Hungrythirsty’.
“We are nothing without our talented people and amazing clients and the work is testament to that,” Tara Ford, chief creative officer of Droga5 Australia and Accenture Song APAC, said.
“I’m proud of how the team and the work has developed and evolved. Looking forward to the next chapter.”
Matt Michael, Droga5 AUNZ CEO, added: “The evolution of The Monkeys over the past 18 years from trestle table to industry-shaper makes it the perfect springboard for Droga5 in A/NZ. The natural kinship between the two brands only serves to strengthen what we can bring to our clients and team, driven by a healthy ambition to make as big an impact as possible.”
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the agency beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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