Australian Avocados, via Hort Innovation, has teamed up with Thinkerbell and cricket icon Merv Hughes to ask breakfast-loving Australians to sign a “pit-tition” that would make avo on toast the nation’s official breakfast. It is a mock-political push built for signatures, not sales.
The hook
The first three seconds work on recognition and wordplay. Merv Hughes is the immediate point of familiarity: an iconic, no-nonsense Australian who brings sporting credibility to the cafe table. The word “pit-tition” tells the audience this is a playful civic act, not a product demo. The contrast between a cricketing legend and smashed avo is the scroll-stopper.
There is no slow build. The campaign introduces its ask early—sign the pit-tition—so the viewer understands how to participate from the first beat.
The structure of the film
The film follows the shape of a mini campaign trail. Merv is the frontman, and the film keeps returning to one action: add your signature. The work is one part of an integrated push that spans social, creator content, earned media, OOH amplification and a Fitzroy mural activation.
Production is credited to Al Moore as director and editor. That small team points to speed and clarity rather than over-produced set pieces.
Why it spread
The share trigger is national pride with a smirk. Italy, Scotland and France all have national dishes, while Australia—despite redefining breakfast and brunch culture locally and globally—has never given its greatest culinary creation official recognition. That gap is the story people can retell.
Thinkerbell Chief Tinker Paul Swann says Australia basically invented modern breakfast and brunch culture, but the smashed avo has never received its official stamp. Hort Innovation Marketing Manager Victoria Zourkas calls avo on toast “an integral part of Australian culture and an export of our lifestyle.”
Three elements make it shareable:
- A talent match that feels inevitable. Merv Hughes carries the joke without trying to be a polished influencer.
- A repeatable mechanic. The petition gives every viewer a low-effort, high-identity action.
- An owned ritual. Avo on toast is already a daily habit, so the campaign elevates it rather than inventing something new.
The numbers
No signature count, media spend or view figures have been released yet. The campaign is designed to drum up as many signatures as possible, so the public tally is the only metric to watch at this stage.
Steal this
For a smaller brand, the useful moves are:
- Turn a daily habit into an official status claim. Find the behaviour your brand already owns and ask customers to formalise it. The comedy and the call to action are already in the habit.
- Choose a talent marker over a generic influencer. A local legend with a recognisable, no-nonsense personality gives the campaign instant context and humour without needing a paid audience.
- Run every channel toward one petition-style action. When social, creators, OOH and a mural all push the same signature ask, each touchpoint compounds the next instead of telling different stories.
The campaign’s real lesson is not avo pride; it’s that a commodity can become a cultural cause when the ask is symbolic and simple.
Watch the original: Australian Avocados on YouTube
Source: Campaign Brief
