MEAT and Livestock Australia has spent about $1.3 million on its latest campaign to get Australians to eat more lamb.

While MLA remains tight-lipped on exactly how much its Barbie Girl ad cost - believed to be about half a million dollars - it said it would spend $800,000 promoting it.

    TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
  • What other commodities deserve the attention lamb is receiving?
  • SEE MORE: The Barbie Girl ad
  • Have Your Say in the form below

This year's campaign features former VFL player and lambassador Sam Kekovich, pop star Melissa Tkautz and Australia's Got Talent winners Justice Crew putting their own spin on 1990s hit song Barbie Girl. The clip also features a cameo from Channel Nine's Richard Wilkins.

A YouTube clip of the song has gone global in its first week.

MLA had hoped to get 100,000 hits, a target reached within its first day.

And by early this week, that number had increased to more than 500,000 views.

MLA marketing manager Andrew Cox said the aim of the campaign had been to generate interest and demand for lamb around Australia Day.

"We set ourselves a target of 100,000 views of his chop hit Barbie Girl on YouTube, and reached that by the end of the first day," he said.

MLA will spend $800,000 on running a similar campaign in the media, but said it expected a return of about $8 million in coverage, which has included the YouTube clip being played on breakfast TV programs.

Industry experts believe the advertisement could have cost $500,000 to make, given the personalities, the production time and the issues around music licences.

But specialist rural media agency Redhanded's managing partner Jim Gall said the YouTube clip had already proved a success.

"The number of YouTube hits is absolutely fantastic and a great result," Mr Gall said.

Kekovich said he was pleased his venture into chopular culture has gone so well.

"It's restored my faith in hulambity," he said.

"I mean, just a few days ago, I was a humble Lambassador and now my chop song Barbie Girl is sweeping through the nation faster than Bob Hawke sculling a schooner."