Creative Agency SBM Claims Gruen Trophy with Controversial Pitch - ‘Convince Australians to eat koala’

Melbourne, VIC, June 9th — Creative agency Smith Brothers Media (SBM) has claimed the top spot on Gruen’s pitch segment with a provocative-yet-catchy ad encouraging Australians to eat koalas.

The pitch, shown yesterday during the premiere of the fourteenth season of ABC's Gruen, invited two Australian agencies to submit a short video with a simple, bold pitch: ‘convince Australians to eat koala’. Contrasting with competing agency Paper Moose, SBM’s approach was an upbeat TV-style ad featuring a fictional product, ‘Koala Masala’, encouraging Australians to buy a jar due to the many health benefits of koala meat.
 

The pitch made heavy use of humour, stating that koalas are “high in potassium, protein and eucalyptus”, and reminding viewers that they can pick up a jar of Koala Masala from “all underrated supermarkets - only while livestocks last.” The video was underscored with a nineties-style jingle with sound design by Abe’s Audio.

The ad impressed the judges, awarding SBM with the trophy after a 3-1 vote. “We’re thrilled to take the top spot this year,” said James Smith, SBM CEO. “The pitch was the toughest one yet, but our creative team pulled out all the stops and truly produced something special. They smashed it out of the park.”

Host Wil Anderson shared his thoughts on the pitch before and after the show aired, stating that it was his "favourite pitch ever" and praising the catchiness of the jingle.

“This is absolutely something to be celebrated,” James Smith said. “Although if we go out for a team curry night, we may just stick to the regular chicken-beef-pork options.”

Gruen pitches are often controversial and intended to “sell the unsellable”, with past examples including ‘why Australia should invade New Zealand’, and ‘support child labour’.

The full first episode is viewable on ABC iView.

About Smith Brothers Media 

Smith Brothers Media (SBM) is a full-service digital agency covering the key areas of growth marketing, creative, content and tech. Find out more at smithbrothersmedia.com.au