I hadn't been inspired by a campaign for a while, so when I saw the Game On Mole TVC I was thrilled.
Because I want to champion Australian marketing, it's what The Marketer is all about. And this is Assie AF.
I mean can you imagine any other country even using the word mole, except for the small burrowing creature?
Aussies have their own way of speaking, which is why so many imported ads fall flat here. We communicate differently, arguably with less finesse - but more intent.
Big Brother's Mole
I doubt Anna, the Big Brother contestant from 2006 who first uttered the phrase knew she'd be adding to our vernacular, but that's how it goes. Your least planned piece of content often strikes a chord and goes viral.
"Game On Mole" was uttered everywhere after that episode, and according to this 92.9 article has become a regular in the reality TV scene with 9 more appearances.
So when you're the Melanoma Institute Australia, why would you not use it to get people to engage with your campaign and get their moles checked?
Fly On The Wall
Nothing delights me more than imagining that day, with the stakeholders and the marketing agency, sitting around a boardroom presenting their campaign strategies.
They click through to the page where they reveal "Game On Mole" and the brand LOVES it and it gets the green light and the crowd goes wild!
Maybe.
I don't know if they liked it straight away or had to be convinced. Maybe this campaign came from client-side...in the end it doesn't matter. It's simple, clever and cuts through.
Actually, I reached out to the MIA (Melanoma Institute Australia) and their Head of Comms, Jennifer Durante told me they didn't use any external agencies - this campaign is the result of their "small internal team of homegrown comms specialists determined to make a difference and capitalise on what Aussie’s love best – a good laugh, all for a good cause!"
Kudos!
Assets
If you check out the website, its an on-trend orange colour, with the font a nod to retro but with a freshness to it.
Shame the video auto-plays but I forgive them.
The simple ask from Melanoma Institute Australia? It's not money or anything complicated (they have other sites for that) it's just to use that device that's permanently in your hands and snap a couple of mole pics.
Simple campaign, simple ask, simple execution.
I'm really glad the organisation understood the need to have a separate campaign website, clean, clear branding, and a simple message.
Been there, done that, got the Tshirt.
Interestingly, you can also purchase a campaign Tshirt or long sleeved polo, and I don't know why, but I really want one!
So what do you think marketers?
Is this a solid example of an Aussie marketing campaign - and will it be effective in making us take our skin more seriously?