A Cut Above? Reviewing MLA’s Latest Lamb Ad

What marks the peak of summertime in Australia? Is it the relentless heat? The infamous ‘Bondi Rescue’ theme song? Or maybe it’s the festive decorations that still linger well into January? Nup, it’s none of those! What every Aussie knows really cements the season is the annual Australian Lamb ad!

Every summer over the last two plus decades has seen Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) call on the nation to embrace more lamb. And 2025’s “The Comments Section” was no different, aiming to be an “irreverent reminder” that “there’s no better way to bring everyone together than over an epic Aussie lamb BBQ”. Featuring real comments from various social media platforms, the ad humorously depicts Australians getting caught up in petty online arguments—with an eventual consensus only being arrived upon over sizzling hot lamb on the barbie.

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Traditionally tied to the Australia Day holiday, MLA have increasingly distanced themselves from the celebration while at the same time preserved the core pillars in which the iconic campaign has been built upon (including summer, togetherness, and the quintessentially Australian way of life).

Appearances from Australian television personalities, viral Olympic breakdancers, and none other than “Lambassador”, Sam Kekovich, helped the 2025 installment lean into Australia’s cultural zeitgeist, creating an ad that was simultaneously familiar while fresh and topical.

However, the true success of MLA’s formula has been the use of humor to grab attention and build emotional appeal—while ensuring lamb firmly remains the story’s hero. In positioning lamb as the solution to comedic conflicts in years gone by, lamb has consistently been the star of the show—and what connects the nation coast to coast.

In this respect “The Comments Section” stumbled somewhat, with the focus on humor taking precedence over the product’s unifying appeal. Rather than leaving people with the familiar take away that “lamb brings people together,” most instead remembered the ad for the trivial arguments (resulting in higher irritation and lower enjoyment than previous years). This meant that impressions of Australian Lamb being fun and delicious didn’t reach their usual lofty heights.

That said, we’re being somewhat picky given just how high MLA have set the bar in recent years: for perspective, “The Comments Section” is still a 5-star performer! But what all marketers can learn from the ad is that while humor can be an immensely powerful tool, the trick is to not allow it to become the story itself—and detract from advertising’s role of building and refreshing memory structures. To succeed, MLA’s strategy relies on lamb being the catalyst for bringing people together and ultimately strengthening the ties that unite the country.

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