Russel Howcroft To Host Doco On Legendary MOJO Ad Agency

Russel Howcroft To Host Doco On Legendary MOJO Ad Agency

TV production company CJZ has started work on a one hour documentary about two of Australia’s greatest admen – Alan (Mo) Morris and Allan (Jo) Johnston – the creatives behind the legendary MOJO advertising agency. The show will be hosted by star of ABC TV’s ‘Gruen’ series on advertising – Russel Howcroft.

Howcroft said: “This is the story of how two unpretentious geniuses re-wrote the rule book in advertising. From ”How Do ya Feel?’ to Paul Hogan putting ‘another shrimp on the barbie’. They had a hit parade of jingles and ads that did much more than sell products, they changed the way we thought about ourselves, and helped take a new Australian identity to the world.”

Mo & Jo were the Lennon & McCartney of Australian advertising, a generation of Australians sang along to: “How do you feel?”, “They said you’d never make it”, “Hit em with the old Pea Beu”, “Going, going Amoco-ing”, “I can feel a Fourex coming on”, “You oughta be congratulated” “A week without the Weekly’s not the same”, or the iconic clarion call to cricket fans that became an unofficial national anthem and a #1 single! – “C’mon Aussie C’mon ”.

“This is the beginning of my love letter to Australian Advertising. Mo & Jo are two of the most important creative figures in Australian history since Henry Lawson & Banjo Patterson!” said Howcroft.

In 1988 the MOJO agency was crowned international advertising agency of the year.  Sadly, Alan (Mo) Morris passed away in 2007, but surviving partner Allan (Jo) Johnston will be featured in the documentary and has opened the extraordinary MOJO archives to the CJZ production team. 

Howcroft also plans to interview major players in the story including: Paul Hogan, John Cornell, Ita Buttrose, John Singleton, Ian Chappell and key insiders from the MOJO agency.




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