Logo

Blog about English

Humphrey's Journey to Discover His Brother's Secret

Another Great Ad on the Friendly Trans-Tasman Rivalry

Humphrey's Journey to Discover His Brother's Secret
Trans-Tasman Feuds / NZ Herald

The article was posted: | 7 min read

The Ad

LYNX Australia bodyspray
LYNX Australia bodyspray

The ad promotes a new fragrance of LYNX bodyspray in a funny and catchy way, making the video enjoyable on its own.

Due to the distinctive Kiwi accent (which I’ve written about more in this post), and the lack of subtitles for this video, I listened to it multiple times and included a transcript here to make it easier to follow.

Find your Aussie magic | LYNX Australia

Briefly About Rivalry

Explanation: "Aussies" is a colloquial term for Australians, while "Kiwis" refers to New Zealanders. There is a friendly rivalry between these neighboring nations, akin to the dynamic between Americans and Canadians (though Americans and Canadians did once engage in the "Pig War," which I’ll discuss in another post).

Transcript and Context:

We meet the main character, Humphrey, played by the New Zealand actor Julian Dennison. He envies his brother Darius, who is successful at everything, and struggles to talk to Rachel Peckham, the object of his affection. The secret to Darius’s success? Turns out it is the Australian body spray LYNX.

Humphrey: Hey, it's Humphrey. My brother Darius is choice at everything. He's the best at rugby. He's the best at running in jandals. What's with the cricket bat? He's the best at DJing. He's just so chill and confident. He can even talk to girls. Strange behaviour for a Kiwi, you know? I could never talk to Rachel Peckham.

Humphrey: Bro, bro, bro, bro. That's Rachel Peckham. Let's go talk to her, bro.

Humphrey: Oh, this was a bad idea. How did that scene get in there? Fake scene. Fake scene.

Humphrey: Well anyway, I knew that Darius had a secret, and I swore to myself I would find out what it was.

Humphrey: Hey bro, what's your secret?

Darius: What do you mean?

Humphrey: Well, how are you good at everything and smell so great all the time?

Darius: Oh well, it's simple. It's all about the confidence and... This helps too.

Humphrey: LYNX Australia? You've lost it.

Darius: Nah bro, trust me. Just be yourself.

Humphrey: Thanks, Darius. Turns out, if you want to step up, you've got to be prepared to go down under.

Rachel Peckham: Hey Humphrey.

Humphrey: G'day, Rachel Peckham.

Notes on Key Terms and Phrases:

  • “My brother Darius is choice at everything”: In Kiwi slang, "choice" means "awesome", "capable" or "amazing." So, the phrase means, "My brother Darius is amazing at everything."
  • “To run in jandals”: Jandals is the New Zealand term for flip-flops. Australians call them thongs, but in the U.S., "thongs" refers to underwear.
    Flip-flops Thongs in the USA
    Thongs in AustraliaThongs in the USA

    Have you ever tried running in jandals? I did. It was the summer camp of 2009, and I was late for a meeting. If you’ve done the same as me, you know what a feat it is.

    Fun fact: In 2013, a 48-year-old New Zealander ran a 150 km ultramarathon in jandals in just 31 hours.
  • “Strange behaviour for a Kiwi, you know?”: Kiwi is slang for a New Zealander. Note the spelling of "behaviour" with a "u," as used in British and Australasian English. This differs from American spelling ("behavior"). The man who is responsible for dropping of "u"s in American English, Noah Webster. never been to New Zealand so "u"s still linger in the words like "colour", "labour", "honour" etc.
  • “Bro”: In New Zealand, "bro" is used frequently, similar to how Americans might say "dude," "man," or "mate."
  • “If you want to step up, you’ve got to be prepared to go down under”: "To step up" means "to achieve success". "To go down under" - "to face hardship", "to be in a difficult situation". E.g. "In business, sometimes you need to go down under before you can rise to the top".
    • Metaphorical: "To achieve success, you need to be ready to face challenges."
    • Literal: Refers to "Down Under," a nickname for Australia. E.g. "I’ve always wanted to go Down Under and visit the Great Barrier Reef". In the ad, LYNX Australia spray ties both meanings together.
    • Not appropriate: "A kiss down under" is like a french kiss, but down and under. The same as "to eat out".
  • “G’day”: A casual greeting commonly used in both New Zealand and Australia.