When Warner Bros. Discovery launched the streaming platform Max in Australia on March 31, 2025, it did so with fanfare.
There was a multimillion-dollar campaign, red carpets featuring stars from The White Lotus and The Last of Us, and a bold promise of ‘All Killer. No Filler.’
But just six weeks later, during its annual Upfronts, WBD announced Max was globally re-branding as (once again) HBO Max.
Surely, this surprise move was greeted with horror by the Australian division? A marketing team’s 3am nightmare.
Maybe. But the approach from Max Australia was swift and confident.
The social team turned a potential backlash into a masterclass in self-aware, culturally-attuned marketing, according to award-winning Australian marketing strategist Nina Christian.
Max Australia leveraged the rebrand confusion to solidify its brand voice. Following a similar global strategy but developing it further, Max Australia used self-deprecating humour and a playfully irreverent tone, to reinforce its brand positioning as bold, relatable, and uniquely Australian.
“Max Australia has taken a global posture that was already punchy and pokes fun at itself, and made it feel homegrown,” said Christian. “Not by disconnecting from the global brand story, but by building on it. That level of alignment, with cultural nuance baked in, is rare. And very effective.
“Most notably, as well as communicating the message with visibility and virality, it also deepened emotional connection. This kind of humour, handled with subtlety and smarts, endears a brand to its audience like nothing else. This wasn’t just damage control. It was brand-building at its best.”
Head of Social for Warner Bros. Disocvery Australia, Ashleigh Bruton, says humour was the key.
“This global rebrand gave us a real opportunity to cement our tone of voice here in Australia,” she says.
“We knew this conversation would dominate social, so our strategy focused on being first to market with the news and then shaping the narrative with a playful approach that proved we weren’t afraid to poke fun at ourselves.
“Having a brand that allows us to play with our audience and be in on the joke with them is a huge part of why we could do this, with Aussies embracing the campaign, joining in and creating their own memes in the same spirit.”
The approach was emblematic of Max’s broader marketing ethos. From launch, the brand positioned itself as a premium yet irreverent alternative in Australia’s crowded streaming landscape.
The All Killer. No Filler. campaign, developed with agencies Special and EssenceMediacom, poked fun at the saturation of streaming services, resonating with audiences seeking quality over quantity.
Sasha Mackie, Senior Director, Marketing – Australia and New Zealand, emphasised the importance of authenticity in their strategy.
“From day one, our strategy was to stand shoulder to shoulder with the customer – solving real pain points.
“So, with this global rebrand, we laughed with the customer and memed ourselves. All Killer. No Filler. Bold, irreverent, in on the joke. Social led the charge, helping us connect in a way that felt authentically Aussie.”