Before Christmas, I was in a room with senior leaders from a broad mix of Australian agencies. The conversation drifted to a deceptively simple question: Why doesn’t any brand truly own Christmas advertising in Australia?

There was some debate. Plenty of strong campaigns. Plenty of seasonal spend. But eventually we landed on a different conclusion. 

Australia may not have a brand that owns Christmas, but it does have a brand that owns a national advertising moment. And it’s not debatable. It’s Australian Lamb. 

Each January, Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) lamb campaign lands not just as another ad, but as an event. It’s discussed in agencies, dissected by marketing teams, and watched closely offshore as one of the few pieces of Australian advertising with genuine global anticipation. 

That doesn’t happen by accident. 

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Traditionally tethered to Australia Day, MLA has deliberately distanced itself from the celebration itself, while preserving the........

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