Australia’s iconic lamb ads celebrate 20 years of unorthodox creativity

Source: MLA
As the familiar sizzle of barbecues echo through backyards, one unmistakable sign heralds an Australian summer: the latest Australian Lamb Ad.
This year marks a significant milestone, celebrating two decades since the Meat & Livestock Association launched its iconic summer lamb campaigns.
Over the past two decades the annual lamb advert has won plenty of fans, and global social media recognition, with its bold and usually unorthodox approach.
But do they work?
Representing some 50,000 livestock producers, the MLA has a clear mission to drive lamb consumption.
The challenge is significant as skyrocketing retail prices and changes in diet are seeing red meat being replaced on dinner tables by the likes of chicken, pork and seafood.
The lamb ad journey began in 2005 with veteran sports commentator Sam Kekovich’s unforgettable appearance at a news desk, delivering a satirical yet impassioned monologue.
‘Un-Australian!”
His rallying cry against the “un-Australian” was as bold as it was memorable.
Kekovich humorously declared: “Do you think the diggers in the trenches were fighting for tofu sausages? No! They were thinking of grabbing a lamb chop off the barbie with their bare fingers, sustaining third-degree burns, then sticking their hands in an esky to fish out a cold one.”
This initial ad set the tone for what would become an annual summer tradition, blending humour, cultural sentiment and a hearty love for lamb.

The campaign against the ‘un-Australian’ set the tone for years to come. Photo: MLA
From its inception, the lamb campaign has been grounded in Australia’s laid-back, irreverent personality.
Initially focused on battling the “un-Australian,” the campaign idea has evolved over the past decade to emphasise unity or more simply, bringing people together.
Unlike other meats, lamb is primarily a shared experience, transcending ethnic and cultural boundaries in our ever increasingly multicultural society – ‘nothing brings Australians together like lamb’.
Grounded in consumer insights, MLA’s campaigns are designed to be provocative and delivered with populist entertainment.
Playing a more emotional game than chicken and pork which are sold on price and convenience. This strategy aims to earn fame, be talked about and most importantly ensure lamb’s place on grocery shopping list and ultimately dinner tables across the nation.
A classic change behaviour strategy, of getting consumers to switch and try something new with the hope the experience and enjoyment will create regular repeat purchase.
Bringing people together
Recent campaigns have masterfully tackled topical issues dividing Australians, with lamb as the hero bringing people together.
The 2021 the Make Lamb, Not Walls campaign resonated deeply during a time of lockdowns and state border closures. Similarly, the 2024 campaign bridged generational divides, celebrating the commonalities between Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Z around a shared barbecue.
This year’s campaign, The Comments Section, takes a satirical look into the contrast between the online world and reality.
Drawing inspiration from social media platforms Meta, X, YouTube, and TikTok, the ad humorously tackles issues that have sparked national debates, from renewable energy and working remotely to AI-generated images and, of course, Raygun.
As the online discourse begins to spiral out of control, Sam Kekovich enters the conversation, lamb cutlet in hand, saying: “Come on everyone, get out of the comments and into the cutlets” and a friendly barbeque ensues.
At the time of writing this article, the ad had amassed just under 600,000 views on YouTube—significantly trailing last year’s campaign, which garnered 3.2 million views, it’s early days.
I look forward to and love the lamb ads but do they work?
The strategy of using most of your marketing budget in six weeks is indeed bold because if it doesn’t work it’s a miserable year ahead. However, the numbers speak for themselves.
In 2024, during the six-week campaign, lamb purchase volume increased by 18.9% compared to the previous year, and for the year up to September 2024 lamb volume was almost as high as the total volume reached in 2023 which was a record year.
The lamb campaigns are a terrific case study on the power of creativity over message frequency and as we celebrate 20 years of these iconic ads let’s fire up the barbie and keep the lamb tradition alive—because nothing brings Australians together quite like lamb.
Steve Doherty is a marketing communications consultant and business adviser