Cheryl Hunter (shelflife at marklives.com)’s weekly pick of all things new — product, packaging, design, insight, food, décor and more!

• Scottish Leader, I See A Different You inspire afro-positivity
• SA’s first isiZulu-speaking doll from Prima
• China challenges the Range Rover Sport

A different perspective

Whiskey brand Scottish Leader, together with creative collective, I See A Different You, is bringing South Africans a new Afro-optimistic perspective— through interpreting and expressing the unique beauty and dynamism of SA and inspiring others to do the same.

Conceived and produced in association with FCB Cape Town, the campaign will be rolled out in various phases, starting this month with an out-of-home billboard campaign.

“The choice of locations for the campaign visuals had to be distinctive, as well as capture the reality, vibrancy and essence of township lifestyle, as can be seen in the scenes reflecting a typical game of pool, a spaza shop, the distinctive roofs of Kliptown in Soweto, and the Alexandra township, amongt others,” explains Paul Carstens, FCB Cape Town creative director.

Born and bred in Soweto, Gauteng, the internationally acclaimed I See A Different You duo, featuring Innocent Mukheli and Vuyo Mpantsha, shot to fame through their photographic blog launched in 2011.  Born of a desire to show a different Soweto — their Soweto — to the world, their success made way for a broader focus to showcase the South African experience and its striking diversity in their signature style.

Says Meryll Stocks Roos, Scottish Leader marketing spokesperson, “The I See A Different You philosophy beautifully mirrors the Scottish Leader ethos of viewing things from a new perspective to discover richer possibilities. It therefore made sense for us to team up and intensify the expression of a shared narrative.”

Mukheli agrees, “In essence, both brands stand for positive change. Only when you look at the world differently can you bring about positive and meaningful change.”

scottishleader.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
iseeadifferentyou.com • Facebook • Instagram
fcb.com/location/cape-town • Facebook • Twitter • Ramify

Baby babble

Baby Thando is the world’s very first isiZulu-speaking doll, made with South African children in mind and offering an educational aspect as well as toy time.

The doll speaks 25 phrases, first in English, then followed by the same phrase in isiZulu. Phrases include: “I love you/Ngiyakuthanda” and “I’m hungry/ Ngilambile.”

Baby Thando is designed to be a soft-bodied doll with a skin tone that South African kids may identify with — something which Sphe Zikode, Prima Toys brand manager, says was an extremely important factor during the design stages of the product.

There are two other dolls in Prima Toys’ Baby Love range, Baba Tasha and Baby Bella, which speak 50 phrases in Afrikaans and English respectively.

primatoys.co.za • Facebook • Twitter

Last stop Heaven’s Gate

Following on from the Pikes Peak, Empty Quarter and Inferno Downhill challenges, Range Rover Sport has released the latest in its Driven Challenges series, this time in the highlands of China: Dragon Challenge.

The new episode sees the Range Rover racing up the 99 turns of Tianmen Shan Big Gate, the winding mountain road heralded as one of the most dangerous and spectacular in the world, and then go on to tackle the 999 steps of Tianmen Mountain. 2017 Le Mans 24-hour winner, Ho-Pin Tung, is the driver who challenges the near 45-degree feat.

Spark44, Jaguar Land Rover’s creative agency, conceptualised and produced the campaign that will feature across TV, print, OOH, mobile and digital, and will be further enhanced through social media. Say Spark44 CCO, Brian Fraser, “This was the most challenging challenge of the four. It was touch-and-go at some points and we were genuinely concerned whether we would do it or not. But the Range Rover Sport came through again.”

spark44.com • Facebook • Twitter
jaguarlandrover.com • Twitter

Shelf Life is MarkLives.com’s weekly column covering all things new. Notify us of yours at shelflife at marklives dot com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.

Cheryl Hunter (@cherylhunter) has written for the South African media, marketing and advertising industries for more than 15 years. A former editor of M&M in Independent Newspapers and contributor to Bizcommunity, AdFocus, AdReview and the Ad Annual, she has also produced for various television networks and currently consults on communication strategy and media liaison.

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