Not happy, Jan!

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"Not happy, Jan!"
"Not happy, Jan!"

Not happy, Jan! is an advertising catchphrase which has entered the Australian cultural vernacular, used to express displeasure.

The television commercial from which the phrase originated was created by advertising agency Clemenger BBDO Melbourne for Sensis (the directories arm of Telstra), to promote the upcoming deadline for advertising in Australia's Yellow Pages. In the commercial, a businesswoman (played by actress Deborah Kennedy) has just discovered that one of her staff has neglected to book an ad in the upcoming year's Yellow Pages. Realising they will have to wait another year, she yells "Not happy, Jan!" out the window towards the fleeing figure of the eponymous Jan. The phrase was coined by Kennedy on the day of shooting.

The phrase was co-opted by the 'Not happy John!' campaign, opposing the re-election of Australian prime minister John Howard in the Australian legislative election, 2004. The title of the campaign also became the title of a book detailing the negative aspects of the Howard government.

The commercial was featured on the Australian TV series 20 to 1 as one of the best Australian commercials of all time.

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