‘Buy Australian!’ Iconic 1980s ad revived to encourage local spending

An iconic television advert from the 1980s is set to be revived as part of a new campaign to encourage Australians to buy local produce and goods as the country continues to tackle the economic impacts of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Set to the instantly recognisable tune of ‘Hey True Blue’ by John Williamson, the original advert shone a light on iconic Australian brands at the time such as Meadow Lea, Boral, Fai, Weet-Bix and Cyclone Tools. Sadly though, many of the featured brands have since collapsed.

And now, as the government works towards boosting the economy, the campaign is set to be rebooted to encourage local spending. According to the Daily Telegraph the new multimedia campaign will launch on Monday with the tagline: “It has never been more important to buy Australian than right now.”

“By calling on Australians to buy Australian right now, not only will we get products made to some of the highest quality and safety standards in the world, we can create local jobs and economic activity that will aid in the recovery process,” Australian Made CEO Ben Larazzo told the Telegraph.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqsnncj4bsQ

It comes after Australian airline Qantas released a nostalgic video earlier this year in celebration of its 100-year anniversary. The safety video, which took an entire year to make, honoured the company’s incredible journey from a small country town to the skies.

From the classic mullet of the 1980s to moustaches from the ’70s and of course various takes on the famed song, I Still Call Australia Home, the advert was the result of months of research by the production team to collate the airline’s century-long history, looking through the national archives and aviation museums.

Take a trip down memory lane – all the way back to the roaring 20s – in our nostalgic, new inflight safety video. #Qantas100

Find out more: https://t.co/mQ1skByH30 pic.twitter.com/pbfiBpfNRD

— Qantas (@Qantas) February 25, 2020

Some of the scenes were recreated in real life while others, such as the original Avro 504 and the 1930a De Havilland 86, were brought back to life using computer generated imagery.

They also used photographs and artefacts from the extensive Qantas Heritage collection to perfect the details of each scene, from original life jackets to the wall panels from retired aircraft that were retrieved from the Mojave Desert. Making it all that more special, the video features current Qantas staff in historical versions of their present-day roles with Alastair Fysh, the grandson of Qantas co-founder Sir Hudson Fysh, also making a cameo appearance.