You're doing Vegemite wrong

As an Aussie, hearing you’re doing Vegemite “wrong” feels like a slap in the face.

I mean how could someone who, at the ripe ol’ age of 2, basically was existing on a diet that consisted almost entirely of Vegemite, be doing it wrong?

A childhood spent eating it on Jatz crackers.

Lunchboxes packed with Vegemite Saladas (which, as is tradition, get pressed together and make vegemite “worms” pop out of)

And of course, on toast, always with an acceptable butter to Vegemite ratio.

I was, truly, a Happy Little Vegemite!

But that’s just it… what if Happy Little Vegemites were just the beginning? (The iconic 1954 ad itself ends with the statement “everyone has *their* way of eating Vegemite”…)

What if, Vegemite isn’t just a spread?

And what if foodies around the world had already cottoned onto using this Aussie staple, with it’s very divisive taste, in a variety of recipes?

Repositioning a national icon

That’s what the latest Vegemite campaign tries to do — repositioning it from just a spread to something that is “mitey good for cooking” (geddit???)

But why go to the trouble of repositioning such an iconic brand? Ben Couzins from Thinkerbell, the agency behind it, gave us a glimpse at the motivation:

"Most Aussies are on autopilot when it comes to how they use Vegemite. So we thought a great way to snap them out of it is to show someone they’d never expect cooking with it."

Featuring packaging where the brand name has been replaced (*gasp* brand blasphemy!) with unexpected dishes you can add the umami goodness to — nachos, stir fry, bolognese and pizza.

And the slight pattern interrupt of the label change was enough to catch my eye while wandering Coles…

Side note/rant: The squeezy bottle version has a slightly runnier consistency and I do not rate it.

The best kept secret

This campaign cleverly plays into that odd sense of protective patriotism that exists in Australia… how dare some pizza-maker in Brooklyn tell us we’re doing it wrong?!

Along with encouraging Aussies to get creative with it, which could feel a little risky, the website takes the guesswork out by giving you recipes to try.

And for those of us too lazy/risk-averse/stuck in our routine to try it out for themselves, they’ve added a collaboration with Coles to offer Vegemite roast chook— getting more folks trying it thanks to the mix of curiosity, ease and that odd sense of national pride.

The lesson in this one? Find the unexpected use cases for your product and tell/show customers who to get more outta what you sell.