Behind the Surprising Evolution of the Vegemite vs Marmite Rivalry
When it comes to spread superiority, Australians and Brits are infamously unaligned. So when adam&eveDDB launched ‘Marmite Smugglers’ this month, the Aussies in the cummins&partners New York team took it as a challenge.
A mock news bulletin showcasing the rivalry between Marmite and Vegemite took the tongue-in-cheek rivalry to another level. Through humour and playful storytelling, the campaign navigates cultural divides, emphasising camaraderie over conflict and aiming to elicit laughter and connection among viewers.
Pepa Cummins, creative at cummins&partners, spoke to LBB about the faux-campaign, which highlights the cultural banter and friendly competition that follows Aussies and Brits wherever they go.
LBB> What inspired you to create this tongue-in-cheek campaign in response to adam&eveDDB’s “Marmite Smugglers”?
Pepa> As a team of (mostly) Australians living abroad in the US, we could relate to the idea of smuggling one of our hometown staples into the place where we now live. The Marmite vs. Vegemite debate has been going on for a while—you're kind of either one or the other. To keep the spirited rivalry going, we felt compelled to respond to the Marmite idea with the Vegemite side of the story.
LBB> Can you share more about the creative process behind developing the short online film launched across your social channels?
Pepa> Playing off adam&eveDDB’s fantastic Marmite Smugglers campaign, we thought a breaking news broadcast would make the most impact in the shortest amount of time. It was jam (or Vegemite) packed with opportunities to spell out the rivalry and allowed us to drop in dozens of cheeky nods to stereotypical Australia vs England cultural differences.
LBB> How do you see this campaign contributing to the cultural conversation surrounding the age-old rivalry between Marmite and Vegemite?
Pepa> People love picking a side. We wanted to fuel that rivalry and hopefully keep it going between the brands in a friendly way. It's important to know that not one side is better or right. It's purely about feeding (no pun intended) the ongoing rivalry between Australians and Brits while giving people something to stand up for.
LBB> Could you elaborate on the decision to position this campaign as an unofficial riposte and homage to the original "Marmite Smugglers" campaign?
Pepa> One word—conversation. A back-and-forth. A bit of banter. The idea was waiting there in plain sight. It's just how Aussies have been conditioned. You see something to do with Marmite, and you just think Vegemite (and probably all the ways Vegemite is, ahem, better). It was something we couldn't not respond to. It just called for speed, creativity, and a little playfulness.
LBB> What challenges did you face in capturing the essence of the rivalry between Marmite and Vegemite while maintaining a playful and light-hearted tone?
Pepa> The key is that, fundamentally, no one changes teams. You're either a Marmite or a Vegemite fan (with a handful of bi-spreaders, of course). So it's not about persuading anyone to choose anything different. It was to make sure Vegemite and its loyal lovers had skin in the game here and a point of view on the situation.
LBB> How do you perceive the role of humour and playful storytelling in advertising, particularly in today's increasingly divided world?
Pepa> Let's put it this way: you'll always upset someone. Sometimes we just need to go back to something simple our parents taught us - if you can't take it, don't dish it out. Okay, maybe our parents didn't say that, but someone did! It’s just about tact and self-awareness. We're talking about salty, sticky jars to spread on bread. It's not that deep.
LBB> Can you discuss the collaboration between Australians, Brits, and Americans in the creation of this campaign, and how did their diverse perspectives contribute to its success?
Pepa> Is this the cast of Hamilton? What was great about these perspectives is we had the Aussies coming in guns blazing, ready to fight for our spread, the Brits keeping us grounded on how far we go, and the Americans making sure we didn’t get fined for filming in a public park.
LBB> In what ways does this campaign reflect the ethos and values of cummins&partners as an agency?
Pepa> It's in the name, isn't it? Partners. No good idea happens solo. It's a constant collaborative effort. Also, our ethos is "start at the end." We knew what we wanted from this film, and we knew what we wanted to achieve, so we backfilled the project with teamwork, creativity, speed, joy, and Vegemite.
LBB> What do you hope viewers will take away from watching the mock news bulletin and experiencing the chaos on the streets of New York portrayed in the film?
Pepa> Um....a laugh! As an expat it's so fun to see an iconic brand from home doing something in your city. It makes the world feel smaller - in a good way...Vegemite is here, and so am I! Just a bit of friendly banter, aye?
