Colenso BBDO Invents Sharon Strzelecki’s Family for Medibank’s ‘Family Roast’
Colenso BBDO’s latest Medibank campaign features Magda Szubanski’s iconic ‘Kath & Kim’ character, Sharon Strzelecki, and two surprise guests: her never-before-seen children who look eerily like her, Tim and Pam.
When the agency first presented the idea for the 60” ‘Family Roast’ TVC to Medibank, the health insurance giant didn't know the plan was to partner with Magda Szubanski.
During the initial proposal, “we used AI to generate an image of Tim,” Simon Vicars, chief creative officer at Colenso BBDO, told LBB.
“There was this very odd image of a guy on screen as we read the script. Then, when we said ‘and we cut to the end of the table to reveal his mum is Sharon from Kath and Kim’, the penny dropped. It was a great moment.”
Off the back of Medibank’s $50 million investment into mental health over the next five years, Colenso BBDO and the company have unveiled a new conversation starter in the form of a card game called the Family Roast.
Developed alongside mental health experts across Australia, the game has been designed to strengthen relationships and open up more meaningful conversations between loved ones through a range of fun (and sometimes provocative) questions.
Last year, Medibank became the health partner of 36 Months, the Rob Galluzzo and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli-fronted initiative fighting to implement a minimum social media age.
“The seed of the idea came from a discussion with Medibank’s chief medical officer. When talking about mental health, he described family as the support system behind the health system. So we knew we wanted to create something for families,” Simon said.
“Lots of brands and organisations have encouraged people to talk to their loved ones about how they're feeling, but we wanted to go a step further and help facilitate that conversation. We also knew 'get together and talk about your mental health' wasn't something people rushed out to do. So we wanted to help create more meaningful conversations through an entertainment lens. That's how the Family Roast was born.”
Medibank chief medical officer and treating psychiatrist Dr Andrew Wilson added, “Mental health touches every family and every community and is at the heart of our national wellbeing.
“Magda has been an incredible partner to work with as we created something we hope can facilitate more meaningful conversations among Australian families of all kinds, whether biological, chosen or adopted. In the face of Magda’s cancer diagnosis, she is determined this important work continues.”
For Simon and the Colenso team, Magda was also a perfect fit because it was important to “help Australia understand how to use the game quickly.”
“We needed a famous Aussie family to play it in front of the nation. Magda has so much authenticity in the space of mental health, she was a no-brainer to collaborate with. But she didn't have a family. So, alongside Magda, we invented one.”
Speaking of her involvement in the campaign, Magda said, “Supporting the mental wellbeing of Australians has always been close to my heart – whether through making people laugh, or through raising awareness and funds for trauma.
“This is a fantastic initiative, and we hope it gives everyday Aussies some practical tools to better understand mental health and connect more meaningfully with one another.”
