The campaign
SunRice is moving its jingle from brand platform to product launch. The marketer has introduced SunRice Microwave Protein+, an Australian-first rice range delivering 10g of protein per serve, and is supporting it with an integrated campaign called ‘Protein Rice, Baby!’. Bastion, SunRice’s lead agency, led creative and communications; Nunn Media handled media, JPC managed in-store POS, and Jekyl Labs produced the 3D work. The source does not name a director. The launch lands in Australia in 2026, building directly on the ‘SunRice, Baby!’ campaign that Bastion created last year.
What the film says and how
The film takes the same 90s hit, Ice Ice Baby, that gave the earlier work its hook, and reimagines it with SunRice Microwave Protein+ in the spotlight. The argument is deliberately low-friction: shoppers do not need to rethink their meals or give up taste or convenience; they can add protein to what they already cook. The tagline is a small, confident twist: ‘Protein Rice, Baby!’.
Bastion chief strategy officer Angela Morris says the team kept a campaign idea audiences already recognise, then refreshed the creative to bring the Protein+ range into that world. That lets the product innovation arrive as a natural extension, leaning on existing memory structures while the film delivers the new protein news. The protein figure is explicit, which gives the fun a concrete core.
The response so far
Campaign Brief’s report captures the launch as a trade talking point rather than a consumer-metrics story. SunRice VP marketing and R&D ANZ Christine Fung describes protein as having ‘a real moment’ in Australia and frames the product as a genuine first for the category. Bastion points to the recognition built by ‘SunRice, Baby!’ as the reason the launch can start from an existing recognition base instead of a blank slate.
The category context
The launch arrives as Australian shoppers keep protein near the top of their grocery list. SunRice cites Euromonitor data that 28% of Australians actively look for high-protein foods when grocery shopping. The new range responds with a simple proposition: keep the meal, upgrade the rice.
- 10g of protein per serve in SunRice Microwave Protein+
- Australian-first positioning in the rice category
- 28% of Australians actively seek high-protein foods, per Euromonitor
- Paid rollout covers TVC, OLV, OOH, social and influencer work
What to watch next
The out-of-home layer is the most visible next beat. SunRice is running full tram takeovers across Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast, plus a 3D animated billboard and column wraps in Melbourne. Major takeovers are also in place at Bondi Junction Station and Manly Wharf. Those placements put the Protein+ message into commuting and daily routines, while the social and influencer activity should show whether the jingle carries beyond paid reach.
Watch the original: SunRice on YouTube
Source: Campaign Brief
