Australian SPF brand Slather has kicked off 2026 with a graphic new campaign that builds on the brand’s provocative debut, once again enlisting Melbourne independent agency Sickdogwolfman and production company Haven’t You Done Well.
The new spot follows Slather’s face-melting launch campaign from 2025 and leans further into the brand’s unapologetic tone, this time using a skewed take on the classic Australian infomercial format to underline the consequences of sun exposure.
A familiar format, turned dark
Directed by Haven’t You Done Well duo Will Suen and Sej Im, the campaign stars a line-up of local comedy talent including Ben Russell, Matt Jenner, Josh Garlepp, James Collopy, Honor Wolff and Aaron Zhou.
Jenner takes centre stage as the campaign’s unfortunate hero, ending up on a literal skewer as his skin peels away in graphic detail. The effect was delivered by Sharp FX, with Production Alley returning for sound and Moodlab handling the colour grade.
The infomercial-style execution allows the brand to place greater emphasis on the product itself, while still retaining the exaggerated, unsettling humour that has quickly become Slather’s signature.
Reinforcing ‘the sun is not your friend’
Slather is a locally inspired, made and owned SPF 50+ brand created by Sickdogwolfman and recently marked its first year in market. The brand launched with a distinctive positioning of the sun as a villain, tapping into Australia’s ongoing skin cancer crisis with a deliberately confronting tone.
According to Jess Wheeler, creative director at Sickdogwolfman and co-founder of Slather SPF, the latest campaign was about shifting focus while staying true to the brand’s DNA.
“We launched Slather with a more cinematic piece that really established ‘the sun’ character and ‘the sun is not your friend’ positioning,” Wheeler said.
“This time around, we wanted to shift more attention to the product itself (look at us being clients) and given this is a brand that does nothing by half measures, we thought we’d make a good old Aussie infomercial. Just with the sun BBQing a man on a spit. As you do.”
Credits
Agency: SICKDOGWOLFMAN
Production Company: Haven’t You Done Well
Director: Will Suen & Sejon Im
Producer: Louise Todd-Smith
Producer: Bea Barbeau-Scurla
Executive Producer: Georgia Mappin
Executive Producer: Tom Rickard
Post Producer: Louise Todd-Smith
DOP: Nyssa Mitchell
1st AC: Indigo Tait-Atkin
Gaffer: Hamish Rayner
LX Assist: Cooper Clark
Sound Recordist: Mark Day
Production Designer / Costume: Ella Lawry
Production Assistant: Bec Syed
SFX Makeup: Anne Swoboda @ SharpFX
SFX Assist: Clara Fosso @ SharpFX
HMUA: Amanda Lissant-Clayton
Editor: Will Suen & Sejon Im
VFX: Will Suen
Colour: Daniel Witt @ Mood Lab
Sound Mix: Rodney Lowe @ Production Alley