As border closures dominate the headlines and premiers go head-to-head, a new OOH activation by Australian Lamb shows state leaders tucking into lamb chops in a series of “light-hearted” murals.
The concept, created by The Monkeys and illustrated by Nigel Buchanan, is a parody of ‘the kiss’, the famous Berlin Wall mural.
Displayed on billboard trucks around the country, from cities to iconic border locations, the murals show illustrated depictions of Australian premiers settling their differences by coming together and tucking into a lamb cutlet.
From Tweed Heads to Albury-Wodonga, Canberra to Perth, the murals are journeying around Australia and border locations from Thursday, 21 January to Saturday, 23 January, and will be in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on Monday, 25 January.
“During 2020, for the first time in history, some Australian states closed their borders, separating families and loved ones, causing confusion, and highlighting some simmering political tensions,” Graeme Yardy, domestic market manager at Meat & Livestock Australia, claimed.
“As the brand that stands for unity, we thought it only appropriate to bring our leaders back together, in the most delicious way possible, with a juicy tender BBQ lamb cutlet.
“Our hope is that Australians will see these murals as a fun symbol of our country, doing what it does best, putting its differences aside and working together to overcome adversity.”
The activity comes after Australian Lamb recently launched its summer ad, also created by The Monkeys.
The new film broke down state borders and brought the nation together over a summer lamb barbie, reflecting on 2020 as a pivotal time in our history where Australia was physically divided due to the pandemic.
The Monkeys executive creative director Vince Lagana said: “Depicting our leaders coming together over a lamb cutlet perfectly complements the wider ‘Make lamb, not walls’ campaign.
“Most of the murals are positioned near state borders as we continue to unite the nation through some much needed light-hearted humour the way only Australian Lamb can.”
The mural activation launched today with support from UM and OOH company Hyped Media.
The activation will be supported by one green bean to drive coverage for the campaign across earned media and owned social.
The premier murals will be journeying around Australia at the below locations and times:
| State | Location | Date | Mural |
| Vic/SA border | Portland Nelson Rd/Glenelg River Rd | Thu, 21 Jan to Sat, 23 Jan | Dan and Steven |
| Qld/NSW border | Tweed Heads & Coolangatta | Thu, 21 Jan to Sat, 23 Jan | Gladys and Annastacia |
| NSW/Vic border | Albury–Wodonga | Thu, 21 Jan to Sat, 23 Jan | Gladys and Dan |
| NSW/ACT border | Canberra | Thu, 21 Jan to Sat, 23 Jan | Sco Mo and Mark |
| WA | Perth CBD | Thu, 21 Jan to Sat, 23 Jan | Sco Mo and Mark |
| Qld | Brisbane CBD | Thu, 21 Jan to Sat, 23 Jan | Gladys and Annastacia |
| NSW | Sydney CBD | Mon, 25 Jan | Gladys and Annastacia |
| Vic | Melbourne CBD | Mon, 25 Jan | Dan and Steven |
| Qld | Brisbane CBD | Mon, 25 Jan | Gladys and Annastacia |
Credits for the campaign are as follows:
Client – Meat & Livestock Australia
General manager – marketing and insights: Nathan Low
Domestic market manager: Graeme Yardy
Brand manager: Anna Sharp
Assistant brand manager: Krystina Batt
Creative agency – The Monkeys, part of Accenture Interactive
Group CEO and co-founder: Mark Green
Managing director: Matt Michael
Group chief creative officer and co-founder: Scott Nowell
Executive creative director: Vince Lagana
Creative director: Scott Dettrick
Creative team: Harry Boothman, Joash Tham & Jonathan Rands
Business strategy director: Kit Lansdell
Business director: Topher Jones
Content director: Fizzy Keeble
Senior content manager: Ruth Peck
Head of production: Penny Brown
Producer: Will Haslingden
Design lead: James Halliday
Senior Designer: Laura Ives
OOH illustrations by The Jacky Winter Group
OOH illustrator: Nigel Buchanan
OOH company – Hyped Media
Media agency – UM
Connections strategist: Georgina Parchert
Connections Design Director: Jonny Day
Client director: Hayley Pyper
Senior partnerships manager: Jenny Lam
partnerships executive: Joshua Coles
PR agency – one green bean
