Click on the image above to view the new You Tube video developed by MLA, the latest phase of a campaign designed to encourage people to warm up with beef this winter.  

Australia’s highest profile political opponents Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott have had more than their share of beefs over the years, but now beef is being used to bring them together in a cheeky domestic marketing campaign launched by Meat and Livestock Australia.

An 85 second video posted on You Tube shows two hot air balloons bearing the likeness of the two politicians floating high above Parliament House in Canberra, powered by flames from chef-operated barbecues.

As the balloons gravitate towards one another above the corridors of power, the two leaders appear to lock lips in a rare display of bi-partisanship.

The video represents the second phase of MLA’s domestic “Beefgiving” campaign this winter, which encourages consumers to warm up by getting together over a hearty beef meal.

Central to the campaign was a beef curry television advertisement launched to coincide with the start of the winter ‘comfort food’ season on June 3.

With its new video, which is not supported by paid television advertising spots, MLA is seeking to stretch its promotional reach beyond the limitations of its campaign budget. The hope is the video will generate interest in the metropolitant media which in turn will contribute to its viral spread.  

The video was “leaked” via social media last Friday and had generated close to 12,000  views on You Tube as of this morning.

“We thought that for phase two of our winter campaign we would have a cheeky look at Australia’s coldest relationship and see if we could warm up that relationship with beef,” MLA group marketing manager Andrew Cox told Beef Central today.

“It is a bit different for us, because it is not an advertisement and we’re not buying any media for it.

“Obviously we don’t have the big budgets to do advertising on television all the time, so this is a way to give our campaigns some longevity, and a cheaper way to get a buzz around beef and to get that winter warmth message out there.”

The production process involved two video shoots in Sydney and Canberra and digital enhancement to complete the aerial matchmaking.

The campaign website www.beefgivingseason.com.au rebrands July 14, traditionally one of the coldest days of the year, as “Beefgiving Day”, and encourages people to get together over a warming beef meal.