Up for Pitch: Youngbloods NSW and Youngbloods Victoria take on Gruen

The time came around again that two Youngbloods states went head to head on ABC’s Gruen last night. More prestigious than a Gold Lion, the Plastic Barcode has been contested for over 13 seasons. This year? NSW vs. Victoria. So no competition, obviously.

Depending whether you like creepy crawlies or not, the brief was something to sink your teeth into: Make bugs the next food craze.

About a quarter of the world’s population regularly consumes insects. In fact, they’ve been eaten by humans for tens of thousands of years. But like many a progressive trend, Australia has fallen far behind on the uptake.

So who won, you were asking at sentence two? Well, we’ll let you decide.

Youngbloods NSW:

It’s unrealistic to think Australians are ready to eat insects whole – head, legs and all.

Says Tilly Treloar, co-chair, Youngbloods NSW: “As it turns out, crickets have 37% more calcium than a glass of milk and can be pressed to make a new alternative. So we tapped into the astronomical rise of alt mylk to create ‘Mitey Milk’ as a gateway into the world of insects.”

Says Charlotte Berry, copywriter: “Australian Dairy Farmers are the most trusted source in the food chain. We borrowed the conventions of traditional milk ads to land the nutritional and ecological benefits with a tongue-in-cheek smile”.

This film was shot on Gangurang Country.

Youngbloods VIC:

The problem with bugs is branding. When we think ‘bugs’, we imagine creepy crawly insects writhing around in our gardens. Not delicious food. So, Vic decided it was time to give them a rebrand. Following in the footsteps of ‘baby cow’ becoming the much more palatable ‘veal’, or ‘pig’ becoming ‘bacon’, meet your next food craze: bügee.

Says Claudia Sarosiek, co-chair Youngbloods Vic: “Our ad twists the typical restaurant experience with an overzealous waiter reading the night’s specials that’ll leave you questioning the food you eat every day. Freshly shucked ocean phlegm anyone?”

Says Phoebe Peralta, co-chair Youngbloods Vic: “We knew it was about time to give this delicacy the mouth-watering name (and respect) it deserves. Enter the hero of our film: the bügee ragù. Looks like bugs, and sounds like bougie. We hope you enjoy and want to come live life on the bügee side.”

Youngbloods NSW
Team Leads: Charlotte Berry, Matilda Treloar
Account Directors: Nick Berry, Ruby Tonkin
Copywriters: Charlotte Berry, Georgina Parchert
Art Directors: Caitie Hall, Jake Rowland
Strategists: Eliza Millett, Matilda Treloar
Executive Producer: Lexi Hayes
Director: Madeleine Purdy
Assistant Director: Lachlan Rotherham
DOP: Matthew Maule
Crew: Nick Gascoine, James Creswell, Dan Clarke, Matt Creighton
Editor: Lachlan Rotherham, Matt Creighton
Colourist: Marcus Friedlander
Audio: Abe’s Audio
Talent: Paul Fraser, Amiyah Mitchell

Youngbloods VIC
Team Leads: Claudia Sarosiek, Phoebe Peralta, Dhivia Pillai
Account Director: Phoebe Peralta
Copywriters: Eliza Katsourakis, Claudia Sarosiek
Art Directors: Felix Barnett, Katelyn Testa
Strategist: Dhivia Pillai
Social Lead: Tom Litchfield
YB Crew: Sarah Vanderschoot
Executive Producer: Maddie Fricker
Director: Tess Emerson
1st AD: Lukas Meintjes
DOP: Dylan Snowden
1st AC: Kelton Le Var
Editor: Brian Patto
Colourist: Kyle Black
Audio: Calum Kenihan
Voiceover: Heath Collins
Talent: Annabelle Tudor, Hayley Jemma, Tobias Mambwe