The important message behind this eyebrow-raising billboard

A billboard advertisement that has gone viral among Australians on social media is not what it seems — and that's exactly why the people behind it want you to share it.

The billboard has been spotted in Melbourne and NSW's Central Coast, and has been widely shared on social media. Source: Supplied

No, it's not a typo.

Yes, it's deliberate.

A new billboard featuring a picture of a burger next to the words "100 per cent Anus beef", spotted in Melbourne and NSW Central Coast roads in the past week, has been shared widely on social media, leaving some Australians pondering what it's about.

One person who shared a snap of the billboard near Tuggerah, NSW, remarked in a social media post: "I'm suddenly not as hungry."

But it's not what it seems.

Some drivers who have time to read the smaller print will find a link between the eye-catching billboards and gut health.

The people behind the campaign, The Gut Foundation, say the ad is part of an important message and is starting conversations about gut health and bowel cancer.

"Yes, this is a little bit cheeky. Yes, it is a little bit provocative, but we're really, really pleased that those conversations are happening," chief executive officer Roy Wakelin-King told SBS News.

Wakelin-King said it was an important message about good gut health policy and gut-related disorders such as bowel cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.

"Not enough people are having those conversations," Wakelin-King told SBS News.

"What that leads to is a certain stigma and a certain hesitancy for people to be talking about gut health."

Wakelin-King said this lack of awareness manifested through low participation in important programs like the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, which the Gut Foundation said about 60 per cent of people didn't do the pre-test for.

It's hoped that a recent federal government decision to lower the age of eligibility for the screening program to 45 will help boost participation.

The Gut Foundation says the campaign is aimed at raising awareness and prompting important conversations about gut health. Source: Supplied

Wakelin-King said the response to the ads had been overwhelmingly positive, with the group tracking around 60,000 posts or supporting comments on social media since the billboards went up.

"That's 60,000 conversations which are happening over the course of the last 24-48 hours that wouldn't have been happening otherwise. And that's really important to us."

"Our mission is to improve the digestive health of all Australians, and that starts with a conversation, it starts with understanding."

There are other cheeky messages with a similar theme as part of the campaign, including one billboard featuring baked beans and the headline "breakfarts of champions", and a bowl of acai with the words "acai bowel".

For those sharing the billboard online, it's spawned some toilet humour as well.

"Bit obvious, butt catchy," one Reddit user remarked.

"Not sure if it's making me want a burger or an anus," another joked.