Rolling out during the very week that the UK was originally meant to leave the European Union (EU), the Australian swimwear brand Budgy Smuggler’s new campaign suggests that the United Kingdom forgets about the EU and joins the AU.
Launched in London ahead of an extraordinary UK parliamentary session where MPs tried to wrestle Brexit control from the government, the tongue-in-cheek campaign called on MPs to consider a new proposal to form a new super union with Australia.
#JoinTheAU was an integrated initiative that was spearheaded by a campaign film and also included PR and influencer activity, as well as digital and social content.
The trolling social and PR stunt initiative was launched with a press conference hosted on a #JoinTheAU branded campaign bus outside the Houses of Parliament.
Aussie swimwear brand @BudgySmuggler launches cheeky alternative to #Brexit campaign #jointheau https://t.co/lLJXUlpMTh pic.twitter.com/Q9HhcU857M
— Prolific London (@ProlificLondon) March 26, 2019
The bus traveled the streets of central London from Westminster to Australia House in Aldwych.
It carried a group of #JoinTheAU advocates, dressed only in their AU Budgys swimming trunks, who announced and lobbied for the campaign.
They wore items from the bespoke, campaign specific Budgy Smuggler range of #JoinTheAU branded swimwear: items of which were handed out across central London to further kick-start the movement and are also available to purchase online.
The campaign has also celebrated its arrival through a film detailing all the reasons the UK should #JoinTheAU running across its digital and social channels from YouTube,
to Facebook,
and from Instagram,
to Twitter.
Hey @jk_rowling This Brexit business is such a shambles you could write a book about it. Or Seven. Well, why not #JoinTheAU? pic.twitter.com/ruIdvYFnQm
— #BudgySmuggler (@BudgySmuggler) March 26, 2019
G'day @garylineker This Brexit business is a shambles. We know you thought we were the best candidate for the World Cup 2022, why not #JoinTheAU? pic.twitter.com/CtEikgaGsj
— #BudgySmuggler (@BudgySmuggler) March 26, 2019
Hey @idriselba, this Brexit business is a bit of a shambles. Why not #JoinTheAU? We’ll have a Martini waiting for you, shaken, not stirred. pic.twitter.com/zFdtkxPEU9
— #BudgySmuggler (@BudgySmuggler) March 26, 2019
With content pieces aiming to drive viewers online to find out more at http://BudgySmugglerUK.com
The campaign was developed by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne and the agency’s executive creative director Rich Williams commented: “We know this whole Brexit business has turned into a bit of a shemozzle, but we’ve come up with the perfect solution. Why doesn’t Great Britain join the AU? We can form a super union. Imagine combining all our stunning beaches, beautiful weather and cute wildlife with all their… British stuff. It’s a marriage made in heaven.
“But first things first, if they’re going to join us on the sand they’ll need to update their beachwear with the official uniform of Australia, a pair of Budgy Smugglers.”
“As a brand with offices in Australia and the UK – which is our UK/Europe base – we’ve been watching intently as Brexit has unfolded, and to be honest it looks like a complete s**t fight, so we thought we’d extend an olive/eucalyptus branch from sunny Australia”, commented Chief Smuggler and head of the #JoinTheAU campaign Adam Linforth.
“When we heard that Parliament had seized control of Brexit and were holding an extraordinary session, we realised that we hadn’t seen any extraordinary solutions. So, we took some initiative and have provided an option that hopefully British MP’s can support – head down under and #JoinTheAU”.
Comment:
This is cheeky campaign brought a much needed marketing moment of light relief to the Brexit crisis.
It is also masterful trolling of the UK by the Australian brand.
At some point one brand was bound to be brave enough to leverage Brexit in a marketing campaign.
It’s not surprising that it isn’t a UK or a European business, but an Australian sportswear brand that couldn’t resist the theme.
Of course, Budgy Smuggler is a brand well versed in putting sport front and centre of its marketing.
We love its spot from a few years back in which, with the winter months wrapping up and the footy finals approaching, the brand asked ‘How far can you smuggle a budgy?’ and answered it with @Tindafella’s journey from Manly Beach to the SCG Members’ Stand wearing only his Sydney Swans coloured Budgy Smugglers.
Links:
Budgy Smuggler
https://www.youtube.com/user/budgysmuggler
https://www.facebook.com/BudgySmuggler/
https://www.instagram.com/budgysmuggler
https://twitter.com/BudgySmuggler
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
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