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National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive

Ad-Mad! board game

1996

Ad-Mad! board game

1996

  • NFSA IDKXFY4P49
  • TypeObjects
  • MediumDocumentation
  • FormTabletop Game
  • Year1996

The Seven Network’s Ad-Mad! board game cleverly capitalised on Australia’s enduring love for TV commercials, transforming passive viewing into a lively, interactive experience. Adapted from a similar UK concept, the game’s format involved miming, acting and singing through eight themed rooms to collect remote control 'buttons'. The game's appeal lay in the collective recognition and emotional payoff triggered when each round unlocked a new ad, which you watched on a VHS videotape. Included were ads like ‘I’m as Australian as Ampol’, ‘John West: Simply the Best’ and Qantas’s ‘I Still Call Australia Home’ (featuring Kate Ceberano) that became cultural touchstones. While the game may not appeal to younger players unfamiliar with the ads, for those who grew up with them in the '90s, this party game put all that time watching commercial television to good use.

The Seven Network’s Ad-Mad! board game cleverly capitalised on Australia’s enduring love for TV commercials, transforming passive viewing into a lively, interactive experience. Adapted from a similar UK concept, the game’s format involved miming, acting and singing through eight themed rooms to collect remote control 'buttons'. The game's appeal lay in the collective recognition and emotional payoff triggered when each round unlocked a new ad, which you watched on a VHS videotape. Included were ads like ‘I’m as Australian as Ampol’, ‘John West: Simply the Best’ and Qantas’s ‘I Still Call Australia Home’ (featuring Kate Ceberano) that became cultural touchstones. While the game may not appeal to younger players unfamiliar with the ads, for those who grew up with them in the '90s, this party game put all that time watching commercial television to good use.

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