Ajax Catalogues Every Household Mess, From 'Lambslides' to 'Spagbombs'

Ajax has been living under the kitchen sink in Australian households since the 50s. Over the past 60 years, it’s seen almost every mess you could imagine, and its latest campaign seeks to name every single one of them.

From explosive Spagbombs to high magnitude Milkquakes, The Ajax 'Dictionary Of Disasters' names and reclaims everyday messy mishaps.

Produced by VML and Colgate-Palmolive, the Ajax 'Dictionary Of Disasters' is a tongue- in-cheek collection of portmanteaus that combine household disasters with natural catastrophes. Rolling out across out-of-home, digital, and social in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand, the campaign positions Ajax as the trusted multipurpose cleaner that makes messy moments quick and easy so you can spend more time enjoying life and less time stressing about the aftermath.

Ashleigh Wright, marketing director, personal and home care, Colgate-Palmolive said, “Life’s messy, and we all have those moments when disaster strikes. This campaign urges Aussies to relax and embrace those everyday mishaps with a bit of humour by highlighting the power of the iconic Ajax Multipurpose Spray n’ Wipe range that makes cleaning easy.”

Jack Delmonte, creative director at VML Sydney, added, “I love saying the word ‘portmanteau’ almost as much as I love this campaign. Ajax has a history of making Aussies snigger and Australians have a history of creating their own unique language.

"This campaign blends both of the two, to keep Ajax front of mind in case of a seismic ‘Lambslide’ or ‘Eggsplosion’. By treating these everyday catastrophes as cheeky epic events, we’re making the clean-up just as memorable as the mess itself.”

The campaign has already made its mark beyond the kitchen as spaghetti and smoothie covered bus shelters have started to appear around town.