It’s World War Generation Z.
An Australian meat advert had viewers in hysterics after hilariously satirizing the differences between each generation in what viewers are calling the “best ad in history.” The resonant commercial was released last month by Aussie meat purveyor “Australian Lamb,” quickly racking up 450,000 views on YouTube.
Dubbed the “Generation Gap,” the commercial is set in a dystopian future where the different generations are segregated into different towns by literal rifts in the ground. Each time the age groups shade one another, the chasm grows wider.
Fortunately, they found a way to meat in the middle.
The story begins in suburban Boomertown, whose 60-70-sometings citizens obliviously leave their phone flashlights on all day long and where papers display headlines like, “Newspapers still relevant in Boomertown.”
In one shot, a real estate agent can be seen offering a citizen two-for-one deals on houses (an apparent reference to 60-70-somethings domination of the housing market).
That’s when one of the baby boomers decides to throw barbs at the residents of Zoomertown, a “Blade Runner”-esque mashup of billboards whose 20-something residents are perennially on their devices.
“Blood Gen Zeds (Z), just remember, we’re the ones that invented your precious World Wide Web,” he declares, causing the fissure to expand.
The camera then pans to the lost city of Gen Z, where a female Zoomer wonders if their screen time is “adversely affecting our social skills.”
“It could be worse, we could be in our early 30s,” replies her male companion, after which the viewer is transported to the millennial land.
Here, this liminal age group climbs rock walls and tries to stay relevant by using expressions like “slay,” a popular buzzword among their Zoomer brethren.
Cut to a Gen X man who complains about being ignored despite having “so much to say.” However, he’s fittingly interrupted as the camera pans to lamb sizzling on a grill in Boomertown.
The different inhabitants continue to roast each other in culturally resonant ways until said grill breaks off from Boomertown and drifts to the middle of the different lands.
Upon smelling the aroma, the age groups cease their bickering and start waxing poetic about the protein, causing the fissures to start to close.
“The generation gap, it’s closing,” exclaims a boomer woman, after which the different age groups discuss the ways they are alike.
“I’m addicted to my phone as well,” the aforementioned septuagenarian yells to a Zoomer, who replies that “takeaway coffees could be hotter.”
The clip concludes with the different age groups coming together and sharing the grilled lamb, effectively meating in the middle.
The ad resonated with the online masses.
“An Australian lamb BBQ — bringing together the generations — LOVE IT!!!” fawned one fan, while another wrote, “I swear you guys have the best ads ever, whenever I see one of yours on here I never skip. Actual theatre quality!”
A third wrote, “Brilliant guys, great concept and execution as always.”
“Not me tearing up to a lamb ad..” gushed one commenter.