Is this missing element the beginning of the end for the lamb ad?

And this year's edition tackles one of the most "of-the-moment" divides of them all - the generation gap.

While boomers may be sitting pretty in Boomerland - a place where houses are given out like lollies and retirees can go for a morning walk, only to be reminded that their phone light is on - this year's Australian Lamb ad shows that there is a literal rift between themselves and the other generations.

Over in Gen Z world, it's young inhabitants are interconnected online but struggle to hold a conversation 'IRL' (aka, in real life). But at least they're not in their early 30s, right? Over in Millennial world, they are are clinging onto any relevancy they may still have - "Are we saying 'slay' now?". And then poor Gen X - the ones that everyone seems to forget about - get cut off before they even make their point.

Of course, since it's the annual lamb ad, it's the idea of a lamb barbecue that brings them all together - both figuratively and literally closing the chasms that divide them. Gen Z concedes takeaway coffees could be hotter and Boomers admit that they, too, are addicted to their phones.

And as for the lambassador, Sam Kekovich? Well of course he appears for the final lamb-filled celebration (even if one Gen Z thinks he's John Howard and another doesn't know who either Kekovich or the former prime minister are).

It's all very Australian, isn't it? The sort of Australian that is somehow inexplicable to other countries as to how it got to be Australian.

Sure we love our lamb - but we are also a country that is home to vegans, vegetarians, and yes, people who just don't like lamb.

And yes, Kekovich once played AFL - a sport some states might say is a national pastime - but there is a portion of the population that doesn't know Kekovich beyond being the country's lambasador.

Still, it's hard to imagine Sam Kekovich resonating overseas as much as he does here. Or these uniquely Australian lamb ads for that matter.

So what is it that makes these ads Australian?

Once upon a time the ad was an indication that Australia Day is around the corner - a chance to throw some lamb on the barbie. But this year's edition doesn't even mention January 26, let alone Australia Day.

The whole premise in past years was that it would be un-Australian to serve anything other than lamb on Australia Day.

But when the ad was released on Monday, Australia Day was nowhere to be seen. The advertising team have obviously decided to take the Switzerland approach when it comes to the Australia Day/Invasion Day debate. Which, funnily enough, is probably the largest divide in this country every January.

Has January 26 become the one thing lamb can't unite Australians on?

And is the lamb ad so Australian that it no longer needs a national holiday to prove its relevance?

We've come to expect the ad like clockwork: as Aussies head back to work after the Christmas break, Kekovich appears, standing in front of a barbie, dishing up some lamb with a side of Australian colloquialism and a dash of creative storytelling.

No one can put their finger on exactly why this one ad campaign has embedded itself into this country's culture, but it has.

Perhaps this is the one segment of the previous Australia Day traditions that can live outside of the holiday, by simply removing the tagline. Or do the critics who call it "too woke" indicate that this is the beginning of the end for the beloved lamb ad?

Only time will tell, and as we wait the long 12 months until the next instalment is released, we can just chuck another lamb chop on the barbie, and bridge the gap between the generations.