The Monkey, formed 18 years ago, has officially become part of Droga5.
The merger creates Droga5 Australia and New Zealand, part of Accenture Song.
Matt Michael, managing director The Monkeys, assumes the role of CEO for Droga5 in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ).
The campaigns from The Monkeys have won the biggest awards the world has to offer.
Many have become part of the advertising global stage, including the annual lamb commercial for Meat & Livestock Australia.
The latest, How uniting generations saw Lamb enjoy results for the ages, is in the running for ad campiagn of the year at the AdNews Agency of the year awards, one of eight spots the agency has in the finals.
And The Monkeys has a string of grand prix at Cannes Lions, most recently for Sydney Opera House 'Play it Safe' and for its work with the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu.
The Monkeys farewell clip is HERE
And a selection of campaigns over the years:
2024 Sydney Opera House | Play It Safe
The Sydney Opera House released a special musical tribute to mark 50 years of bravery, creativity, and wonder at the world’s most celebrated cultural landmark. Play It Safe was written and composed by Australian singer Tim Minchin as an ironic salute to the bold, visionary experiment that became the Opera House. The song is a musical homage to a building that tested the limits of engineering and design, forever changing the face of Sydney. Directed by award winning filmmaker Kim Gehrig and produced by Revolver, the epic music video featured Australian artists and arts companies who share an enduring connection with the Opera House.
2024 NRMA Insurance | A Help Company
For almost 100 years, NRMA Insurance has provided HELP to Australians, becoming our most trusted insurer. But high prices amid cost-of-living pressures saw retention and market share decline. As the brand looked towards the next century, we led a business transformation that saw the brand redefine their commitment to Australians not just as a leading insurer, but as A Help Company. Internally, this unlocked numerous initiatives, from a refreshed digital experience to a national disaster preparedness program and new drone-based roof safety service. After the launch in June, 46% of customers joining NRMA Insurance in the past year cited the new platform and communications as part of the reason for joining.
2023 Government of Tuvalu | First Digital Nation
"We helped low-lying Pacific nation Tuvalu respond to the threat of rising sea levels with a radical solution that allows them to remain a country – even when their land disappears under the waves. The First Digital Nation recreates the country’s physical land digitally and moves the nation into the metaverse. It’s a bold, provocative appeal for sovereignty and global action on climate, announced during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) by Tuvalu minister Simon Kofe. By combining creative thinking with technology to communicate Tuvalu’s message to 2.1 billion people, we didn’t just revolutionise the metaverse as a tool to preserve island nations’ history and culture; a historic Loss and Damages Fund was also approved during COP27."
2023 ASB | Benee Bagels
As part of ASB’s commitment to supporting more young people with their mental wellbeing, The Monkeys created a song that is scientifically designed to help when you feel anxious. The agency paired pop star BENEE with neuroscientists from Auckland University of Technology to produce the track using musical elements such as key, tempo and chord structure that are scientifically proven to relieve anxiety. The music video also incorporated anxiety-relieving principles like Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EDMR), a powerful therapeutic tool used in the treatment of trauma
2023 Telstra | This Is Footy Country
Footy lives in the country. It’s where the sport is purest, the players are toughest, and entire towns are built around the field. Along with Telstra, a 20-year sponsor of the NRL and AFL, The Monkeys decided it was about time someone celebrated that special relationship. The film launched during the 2023 footy finals and people loved it. In post-campaign brand tracking, over 55% of respondents said it ‘was the best ad they had ever seen’.
2023 Macpac | Weather Anything
The campaign thrust a small New Zealand outfitter on to the globe stage, winning a Cannes Lion, Four Gold Pencils at AWARD, and a host of other accolades in the process. The work draws on classic advertising product demonstration techniques and moulds them flawlessly with modern, understated Kiwi humour to create something both effortless and effective.
(2023) Uluru Statement from the Heart – You’re the Voice
Australia voted in a referendum for the first time in a generation to decide if they should change the constitution to recognise Indigenous Australians with a Voice to Parliament. In support of the Yes campaign, The Monkeys enlisted the help of John Farnham and Australia’s unofficial anthem “You’re the Voice” to reset the national conversation. The film was directed by Kaytetye man and award-winning director Warwick Thornton. The Sydney Morning Herald called it one of the best pieces of political advertising, comparing it to Ronald Reagan’s ‘Morning In America’.
2022 UN Women Australia | Equality: Our Final Frontier
Global gender equality is still 132 years away. Which means humans will walk on Mars, have brain enhancements, elevators to space, and a colony on the Moon all before women are equal on Earth. The Monkeys questioned the world’s priorities by contrasting real projections of scientific and technological advancements with the projected date of global gender equality. The agency’s eerie animated film follows a young woman as she leaves a protest in 2022, and travels through a future that progresses in every area except equality.
2022 Qantas | I Still Call Australia Home
To celebrate Qantas’ return to international travel and Australia reuniting with the world, this three-minute film revisited the iconic anthem “I still call Australia home”, showcasing Australian and international destinations as well as famous Australians Kylie Minogue, Adam Goodes, Hugh Jackman, Troye Sivan, Bronte Campbell and Ellie Cole, alongside the children’s choir, Bangarra dance group and Qantas staff. The story also paid tribute to Qantas’ 100-year journey as the Spirit of Australia. Out of a testing time for the airline post lockdown, the film celebrated the resilience of the Australian spirit and the joy in finally being “Together once more”.
2021 Telstra | Australia Is Why
Australians love to complain about Telstra, our national telco. So much so, that it unfairly drowns out all the good Telstra does for the country. And there’s a lot. So, The Monkeys set out to tell the story of what they do, and just as importantly, why they do it. The new brand platform kicked off with film and outdoor, followed by the generous act of turning Telstra’s 14K payphones across the country into free phones.
2018 Berlei | Boob Balls
Berlei launched its Spring Summer 18’ Sport collection with a provocative campaign via The Monkeys, demonstrating the impact different sports have on women’s breasts when they are not wearing a supportive sports bra. It’s been reported that an astounding 43% of women are unaware that not wearing the right bra while exercising can contribute to breast tissue damage that can cause breast sagging later in life. The campaign, ‘Stop Your Boobs Playing Their Own Game’, spoke to women of all ages, with a range of different breast sizes who play all kinds of sport. It aimed to empower women to care for and invest in themselves by choosing the right sports bra for their chosen sport or favourite type of exercise
2017 Meat & Livestock Australia | Celebrate Australia
This spot featured legendary Australian cricketer and commentator Richie Benaud, enlisting the help of a pantheon of national icons, to encourage Aussies to get together over lamb on Australia Day, because as everybody knows – you never lamb alone.
2015 Meat & Livestock Australia | Richie’s BBQ
MLA and The Monkeys launched a Lamb campaign with an epic lamb barbecue celebrating the diverse mob who’ve come together here to make Australia the best place on earth.
2014 IKEA & Airbnb | Sleeping in the IKEA store
In what was the first Airbnb collaboration in the world, The Monkeys helped IKEA turn the spotlight on its bedrooms and bathrooms by allowing Aussie families to spend the night in the furniture chain’s Sydney store at Tempe. The work picked-up global attention across Time Magazine, Daily Mail and Huffington Post among others.
2014 NRL | Straight In Your Eyes
With the NRL season set to kick off Telstra launched a new ad campaign for its NRL Digital Pass featuring current players and legends “hamming it up” to on original song ‘Straight in Your Eyes’. The ad, created in the style of a glam rock music video, was created by The Monkeys and directed by Owen Trevor at Rabbit Content.
2014 Intel | Intelligent Sounds
The Monkeys collaborated with Flume and Finch to create this experimental piece for Intel – a sound and light installation performed by a robot they built and a band of Intel-powered tablets. The original composition was created by Flume and released on his deluxe edition album.
2011 Sydney Opera House | The Ship Song
The Monkeys pulled together a stellar line-up of talent to celebrate Australia’s most iconic building. The ad took 10 months to produce and included such luminaries as Neil Finn, Kev Carmody, Sarah Blasko, Angus and Julia Stone, Paul Kelly, Temper Trap, Martha Wainwright, Katie Noonan and Daniel Johns all performing the Nick Cave classic The Ship Song.
2010 OAK | Kill Hungry Thirsty Dead
Parmalat’s Oak milk drink launched its first ad campaign from Three Drunk Monkeys, featuring an aggressive front man explaining the concept of “Hungrythirsty”.
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