Last month, Meat & livestock australia general manager of marketing David Thomason stepped down from his role after 12 years. adnews explores what’s next for mla.
It’s difficult to find anyone with a bad word to say about David Thomason. In the 12 years he headed up the marketing department of Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), Thomason won the respect of a fickle industry with his determination to constantly push the envelope and come up with irreverent, exciting, and original work.
Making meat sexy, on a shoestring budget, is no small feat, but guided by Thomason, MLA has been the subject of some of the most awarded, effective, andrecognisable campaigns of the last decade.
But what’s next for MLA? Glen Feist, who has been working for MLA in Asia, will take over as general manager of marketing from August, and has a lot to live up to. According to advertising legend Ron Mather, now running agency It’s The Thought That Counts, the next phase of marketing for MLA will depend on the direction Feist chooses. “The brand and personality are so solid, it will be a tough job stepping into his shoes,” says Mather. “The personality is there for the brand, and the question now is how they go forward.”
Warren Brown, executive creative director & founding partner of creative agency BMF, says MLA needs to retain the satirical style it has become known for. “We have been able to take the piss on a variety of occasions, thanks to the cheeky attitude we have given lamb,” says Brown.
“That cheeky irreverence is so important. If you want lamb to retain its place as Australia’s number-one meat, MLA needs to retain the cheeky irreverence that’s associated with it. Everything we do for lamb has to be a bit of fun.” Thomason himself is modest when asked what the future holds for the marketing direction of his former employer. “It’s going to be different, and hopefully better,” he says.
During Thomason’s tenure at MLA, it was commonplace to see words like “brave” and “ballsy” get bandied about when his
approach was discussed. He “gets” creatives too, and this has seen him win fans from “ad land”, used to having their ideas scuppered – or at least watered down – by overly cautious clients.
“He has this great anarchic streak, and a desire to really rattle the cages and get out there, and get noticed,” says BMF’s Brown, who has worked with Thompson for the best part of 10 years. “He never feels satisfied if he isn’t challenging the status quo a little bit.
“The first work we did was hang a giant banner off his office building, protesting against the Americans putting a tariff on lamb,” says Brown. “We hung it off his building in the city, because we couldn’t find another building willing to let us use it, but David was very disappointed that we could only deliver a 40-foot banner instead of a 60-foot one.”
Mather recounts his time working with Thomason on the infamous “Singing Butchers” campaign, revealing that the idea originally came from the musical Billy Elliot. “Usually we’re trying to push the client, but he tends to push his agency, and that consistency shows in his work,” says Mather.
“It’s also a good testament to David as a client – it didn’t matter which agency he was working with, they still produced good work. The length of the relationships with the agencies [MLA has worked with BMF since its inception], also speak as to how well regarded he is. He really pushes to get great work and things that stand out. And for a brand like meat and livestock, it’s not the sexiest thing on earth. I wish other clients could be as adventurous and as fresh thinking.”
But Thomason himself credits the success of MLA’s marketing to the relatively flat management structure, and that the organisation leaves its employees to get on with the job at hand. “One of the great things about MLA is that the people have the freedom to operate,” Thomason says.
“You are held accountable for your results of course, but it encourages people to take the initiative. There are veryshort approvals, particularly in
creative. It means the ideas don’t have their sharp edges knocked off, which is very refreshing, and that’s why I was able to do things there that perhaps I wouldn’t be able to do in another organisation.”
Fiest, who will take the reigns in August, has big shoes to fill, but brings 25 years of marketing experience to the role. He relocates from Asia, where he has been growing the key export markets of Japan and Korea, positioning Australian beef as the product of choice. <
Prue Corlette
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