Mojo (advertising)
Encyclopedia
Mojo was an Australia
n advertising agency
formed in Sydney by Alan Morris
("Mo") and Allan Johnston
("Jo") in 1979. Its lineage can today be directly traced to Publicis Mojo, an Australian subsidiary of the French
multinational
advertising
and communications company holding Publicis Groupe.
Johnston, initially from Adelaide
and Morris from Sydney teamed up in the mid 70s at Sydney agency Hertz Walpole. Johnston had been employed there since 1968 and Morris was freelancing. Johnston and Morris had immediate success together working on campaigns for Hertz Walpole clients Meadow Lea
margarine ("You oughta be congratulated") and Tooheys
beer ("How do you feel?") and they left the agency but continued to work on such clients as they grew their consultancy. In 1979 their creative consultancy became a full-service advertising agency and Meadow Lea and Tooheys amongst other clients, signed with the new shop.
During the 1980s, MoJo was the hottest creative agency in Sydney and Mo and Jo had success jointly authoring World Series Cricket
's "C'Mon Aussie C'Mon" and later the Australian Tourism Commission's
spot with Paul Hogan
's instruction to put another "Shrimp on the barbie
.
The MoJo approach to TV advertisements used a colloquial and irreverent style, often with a catchy jingle to simple accompaniment and frequently sung in Jo's own "gravelly" voice. Contrasting against the clipped and British-imitating style of voice presenters on Australian TV up till that point, Mojo ads highlighted Australian idiom and accent. Ads such as “I’m as Australian as Ampol
”, “Hit ‘em with the Old Pea Beau” (insectide), “Everybody loves Speedo
”, “I Can Feel a Fourex
Coming on”, “Every Amco tells a Story” (for Amco jeans) all came out of the Mojo agency in the 1980s.
The firm merged with publicly listed Melbourne agency Monaghan Dayman Adams
and became MojoMDA. The firm was named International Advertising Agency of the Year by Advertising Age
in 1988.
Notable campaigns:
In 1989 MojoMDA Ltd was Australia's largest ad agency with billings of $180million and was acquired by the Los Angeles agency Chiat\Day. The merger was unsuccessful and in 1992 Chiat/Day sold off Mojo to Foote, Cone & Belding. The Mojo lineage can be directly traced today to the Sydney and Melbourne agencies Publicis Mojo, Australian subsidiaries of the French
multinational
advertising
and communications company holding Publicis Groupe.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n advertising agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
formed in Sydney by Alan Morris
Alan Morris (advertiser)
Alan Morris was an Australian advertising creative executive, a copywriter who enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 80s. Together with his long-time business partner Allan Johnston, he formed the Australian advertising agency Mojo which enjoyed much local and some international success in...
("Mo") and Allan Johnston
Allan Johnston (advertiser)
Allan Johnston is an Australian advertising creative executive, a copywriter who enjoyed particular success as a jingle writer in the 1970s and 80s...
("Jo") in 1979. Its lineage can today be directly traced to Publicis Mojo, an Australian subsidiary of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
multinational
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and communications company holding Publicis Groupe.
Johnston, initially from Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and Morris from Sydney teamed up in the mid 70s at Sydney agency Hertz Walpole. Johnston had been employed there since 1968 and Morris was freelancing. Johnston and Morris had immediate success together working on campaigns for Hertz Walpole clients Meadow Lea
Meadow Lea
Meadow Lea is one of Australia's leading brands of polyunsaturated margarine spreads, founded in Sydney by 1932 and owned since 1986 by the Australasian food public company Goodman Fielder.-History:...
margarine ("You oughta be congratulated") and Tooheys
Tooheys
Tooheys is a brewery in the suburb of Lidcombe, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It produces beers under the Tooheys and Hahn trademarks, and is part of the New Zealand Lion Nathan beverages group.-History:...
beer ("How do you feel?") and they left the agency but continued to work on such clients as they grew their consultancy. In 1979 their creative consultancy became a full-service advertising agency and Meadow Lea and Tooheys amongst other clients, signed with the new shop.
During the 1980s, MoJo was the hottest creative agency in Sydney and Mo and Jo had success jointly authoring World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
's "C'Mon Aussie C'Mon" and later the Australian Tourism Commission's
Tourism Australia
Tourism Australia is a statutory authority of the Government of Australia, with responsibility for tourism marketing within Australia and internationally, as well as research and forecasting of domestic and global tourism trends...
spot with Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan, AM is an Australian actor best known for his role as Michael "Crocodile" Dundee from the Crocodile Dundee film series, for which he won a Golden Globe award.-Early life and career:...
's instruction to put another "Shrimp on the barbie
Shrimp on the barbie
"Shrimp on the barbie" is an often-quoted phrase that originated in a series of television advertisements by the Australian Tourism Commission starring Paul Hogan from 1984 through to 1990. The actual quote spoken by Hogan is "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you", and the actual slogan...
.
The MoJo approach to TV advertisements used a colloquial and irreverent style, often with a catchy jingle to simple accompaniment and frequently sung in Jo's own "gravelly" voice. Contrasting against the clipped and British-imitating style of voice presenters on Australian TV up till that point, Mojo ads highlighted Australian idiom and accent. Ads such as “I’m as Australian as Ampol
Ampol
Ampol, the Australian Motorists Petrol Company, was incorporated by Sir William Gaston Walkley in 1936 in New South Wales. This was in response to Australians' concerns about perceived inequitable petrol pricing, and allegations of transfer pricing by foreign oil companies to limit their tax...
”, “Hit ‘em with the Old Pea Beau” (insectide), “Everybody loves Speedo
Speedo
Speedo International Ltd. is a manufacturer and distributor of swimwear and swim-related accessories. Founded in Australia in 1914, the industry leading company is now a subsidiary of Pentland Group Plc. Today, the Speedo brand can be found on products ranging from swimsuits and goggles to wrist...
”, “I Can Feel a Fourex
XXXX
XXXX is a brand of Australian beer brewed in Milton, Brisbane by Queensland brewers, Castlemaine Perkins. It enjoys wide popularity in the state of Queensland, where it is commonly found on-tap in pubs and bars....
Coming on”, “Every Amco tells a Story” (for Amco jeans) all came out of the Mojo agency in the 1980s.
The firm merged with publicly listed Melbourne agency Monaghan Dayman Adams
Phillip Adams
Phillip Andrew Hedley Adams, AO is an Australian broadcaster, film producer, writer, social commentator, satirist and left-wing pundit. He currently hosts a radio program, Late Night Live, four nights a week on the ABC, and he also writes a weekly column for the News Limited-owned newspaper, The...
and became MojoMDA. The firm was named International Advertising Agency of the Year by Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
in 1988.
Notable campaigns:
- Put another Shrimp on the barbieShrimp on the barbie"Shrimp on the barbie" is an often-quoted phrase that originated in a series of television advertisements by the Australian Tourism Commission starring Paul Hogan from 1984 through to 1990. The actual quote spoken by Hogan is "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you", and the actual slogan...
promoting travel to Australia for the Australian Tourism CommissionTourism AustraliaTourism Australia is a statutory authority of the Government of Australia, with responsibility for tourism marketing within Australia and internationally, as well as research and forecasting of domestic and global tourism trends... - C'mon Aussie, C'mon promoting World Series CricketWorld Series CricketWorld Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
for the Nine NetworkNine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia... - I feel like a TooheysTooheysTooheys is a brewery in the suburb of Lidcombe, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It produces beers under the Tooheys and Hahn trademarks, and is part of the New Zealand Lion Nathan beverages group.-History:...
- I Still Call Australia HomeI Still Call Australia Home"I Still Call Australia Home" is a song written and performed by Peter Allen in 1980. In it, Allen sings of Australian expatriates' longing for home.It has been used to suggest Australian patriotism and nostalgia for home...
to promote QantasQantasQantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport... - You ought to be congratulated to promote Meadow LeaMeadow LeaMeadow Lea is one of Australia's leading brands of polyunsaturated margarine spreads, founded in Sydney by 1932 and owned since 1986 by the Australasian food public company Goodman Fielder.-History:...
margarine - resulting from one of the few words word that rhymed with "polyunsaturatedPolyunsaturated fatIn nutrition, polyunsaturated fat, or polyunsaturated fatty acid, are fatty acids in which more than one carbon–carbon double bond exists within the representative molecule. That is, the molecule has two or more points on its structure capable of supporting hydrogen atoms not currently part of the...
"
In 1989 MojoMDA Ltd was Australia's largest ad agency with billings of $180million and was acquired by the Los Angeles agency Chiat\Day. The merger was unsuccessful and in 1992 Chiat/Day sold off Mojo to Foote, Cone & Belding. The Mojo lineage can be directly traced today to the Sydney and Melbourne agencies Publicis Mojo, Australian subsidiaries of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
multinational
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and communications company holding Publicis Groupe.
Further reading
- Coombs, Ann "Adland : A True Story of Corporate Drama" (William Heinemann Australia, Melbourne 1990). ISBN 0855613408