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

• Great golf gear from Nike
• Local gins win on global stage
• Win a herd with MiWayLife and CHOC

No more knickerbockers

Finally, there’s golf apparel with a sense of style as Nike launches its chic, new, performance golf clothing range in the Mother City.

Created in collaboration with the UK’s Dare and Highsnobiety, the launch campaign focuses on the Cape Town-based urban golf collective. No bland polo shirts or beige chinos are anywhere to be found in this collection; instead, the sport is reimagined with attitude and flare as the viewer follows youths who’re transforming the city’s landscape into their playground and reclaiming the space.

Tasked with imbuing the campaign film with the same quality and depth as the original photography, ENVY Advertising’s Danny Wood (UK) delivered: “Matt Bolton [creative director] of Dare approached us with a visually stunning look-book, so we had rich reference material to draw on. My main focus was to achieve consistency in the look and to celebrate the incredible environment that defines the film. It was important to allow each of the distinct identities — the products, the individuals, and their craft — to shine through, whilst uniting them visually.”

Says Bolton, “The ENVY guys are mind-readers and magicians. They knew what we wanted from the off and delivered the film with a Houdini-like finish. I try not to have favourites in the industry, but Danny’s one of them.”

Urban Golf is now live on highsnobiety.com

nike.com • Facebook • Twitter
envypost.co.uk • Facebook • Twitter
thisisdare.com • Twitter

Not just gin

Creative entrepreneur, Jacqueline Grobler, just landed four international awards for her locally inspired gin brands – Ginifer and Westcliff – at the American Distilling Institute’s craft spirits competition, the largest judging devoted to craft spirits globally. She took time out this week to share her recipe for success with Shelf Life.

Grobler launched her own alcoholic beverage company just five years ago from a business that started in her garage with her husband, using an old copper kettle he handcrafted. “Our brands have been built on integrity, passion and love. I am completely hands-on, and still serve clients myself. I make time to explain the distilling process and share the details and unique story behind every brand.”

It’s this personal touch that goes a long way in a world that is highly detached and Grobler’s level of engagement has built loyalty in customers, who have gone on to become strong ambassadors for the brand.

“We still manage our social media pages ourselves and interact with every consumer who connects with us on our platforms. We make a point of answering every question. If someone has taken the time to engage with us, we owe it to them to keep that conversation alive. Not to do so is opportunity lost and by answering it ourselves, we maintain our unique voice in all our communication.”

Grobler’s approach is above and beyond simply manufacturing alcohol: “We distil artisanal spirits and serve them in a sensory way that imprints on our client’s memory and, in so doing, ensures positive recall which becomes an experience worth repeating.”

Grobler also believes in the power of in-store promotions to reach audiences, allowing them the opportunity to develop a meaningful connection through demonstrations and sampling. But she says their extensive use of social media has been invaluable: “It’s not our style to bother clients with insignificant posts. We only post when we have a story to share and we always marry it with a give-away.”

ginifergin.com • Facebook • Twitter
ahbev.com • Facebook • Twitter

Only in SA

MiWayLife is offering South Africans the chance to win a herd of 25 Nguni cows in collaboration between MiWayLife, CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation SA and the fundraising team The Cows.

The Nguni cow is an icon of the South African countryside, providing wealth and status for their owners.

Says MiWayLife’s CEO, Craig Baker, “We believe that life insurance shouldn’t be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ kind of deal. We would like our interventions to leave people better off and hopefully self-sufficient and, in this case, the winners of the competition will have a substantial store of value that will grow and create further wealth for them and their families.”

To enter, customers need to request an obligation-free quote. A donation of R50 towards CHOC will get the hopeful a second entry into the draw.

miwaylife.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
thecows.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
choc.org.za • Facebook • 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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