by Kyle de Waal & Morgan Botha. Here’s our latest choice of South African ads that connect and engage: Volkswagen South Africa’s Drive Local, Metropolitan’s Three Word Stories, Ackermans’ Faces of Change, King Price Insurance’s Roadblock, and Tops at Spar’s Seriously Responsible.

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#AdChamp: Volkswagen South Africa — Drive Local  

Volkswagen SA hasn’t only talked the talk but walked the walk in this exceptional ad that speaks to what the people need to keep moving through this year. It was also one of the first brands in South Africa to shoot with the new social distancing regulations in place, with entirely remote pre- and post-production.

Drive Local is a major part of VW’s plan to assist local people and businesses taking strain during the novel coronavirus pandemic. At the same time as creating this ad to encourage supporting local, the Volkswagen chairperson set up a temporary covid-19 medical facility with 4 000 beds, as well as organising VW Germany to donate R100m to the cause in South Africa.

Meredith Kelly, Volkswagen Passenger head of marketing, told MarkLives that the shoot in Darling in the Western Cape caused substantial excitement among the locals: “In many ways, it mirrored the actual advert as people were excited to see some activity returning to their town.”

Credits

Brand: Volkswagen
Clients: Meredith Kelly, Loryn Symons, Neo Nkosi
Ad agency: Ogilvy Cape Town
Creative group head: Marjolein Rossouw
Creative director: Alex Goldberg
Associate creative director: Riaan Van Wyk
Copywriter: Melanie Horenz
Art director: Lisa Hodgkiss

#AdChamp: Metropolitan — Three Word Stories  

Caretakers and breadwinners are feeling an enormous amount of responsibility and may, therefore, find it difficult to speak up about their mental health struggles — according to a recent South African Depression and Anxiety Group survey, 40% of respondents said that depression has been the main challenge since physical distancing rules were put in place. In response, Metropolitan has stepped up to start stigma-free conversations on mental health issues to help those struggling.

Each week for five weeks during June and July 2020, Metropolitan has been using radio, print, and digital media to have an open dialogue with those in our country who, according to Llewellyn Allen, Metropolitan head of marketing, “feel that they are in some way responsible for others”.

Various SA motivators and radio personalities (including Musa Mthombeni, Malibonge Xaba, Hector Mathebe, Keabetswe Jan, Lehlohonolo Thoabala and Abongile Mangala) have been sharing stories from a personal perspective, and listeners are invited to weigh in on what the words mean to them and how they relate to their personal narratives. The topics range from education to motherhood and everything in between. Concrete and actionable advice has also been offered.

Credits

Brand: Metropolitan
Creative agencies: Black River FC and M-Sports Marketing
Concept: Black River FC
PR amplification: M-Sports Marketing
Talent sourcing: Metropolitan

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#AdChamp: Ackermans — Faces of Change  

This is a campaign that highlights and celebrates women’s empowerment in a series of ads honouring five extraordinary women who’ve made uplifting, impactful, and lasting changes in their communities.

Shameena Moolman, Ackermans advertising manager, told MarkLives, “During this difficult and uncertain time, people want to hear positive and ‘feel-good’ stories. We wanted to create a campaign which is relevant, centres around the same sentiments, while also speaking to the Ackermans’ brand values.”

Adds Chris Smith, 99c creative director, “We wanted to change the conversation around the power and possibility of women, to amplify their voices.”

While this idea was conceived before covid-19, the intent was to give recognition, respect and admiration to the women who deserve it — women who’ve for so long put others above themselves and have acted so selflessly that it was past time to put them in the spotlight and celebrate what they often do with no recognition outside of their immediate communities — and this is timeless.

Credits

Brand: Ackermans
Advertising manager: Shameema Maloon
Advertising specialist: Gabriella Nunes
Ad agency: 99c Advertising and Communications Agency
Creative director: Chris Smith
Business unit director: Melanie Roussouw
Digital account director: Nawaal Alexander
Senior art director: Camilla Grobler
Digital art director: Lee Stemmet
Digital copywriter: Skye de Chazal
Broadcast media producer: Adiela Mosaval
Art buyer: Lynn Siebritz
Social media manager: Railyn Kruiser
Photographer: Ulrich Knoblauch, Robin Bernstien (digital assistant), Ruan van Jaarsveldt (lighting assistant)
Stylist: Justin Jurd, Danica van der Veen (stylist assistant)
Hair: Jacqui Lupton, Vivienne Ngoma (hair assistant)
Makeup: Neveen Scello
Production house: Bioscope Films
Director: Kyla Philander
Producer: Lee-Anne Jacobz
Production manager: Naledi Khape
DOP: Zenn Van Zyl
Post production: Strangelove Studios
Editor: Emily Bussac
Online editor: Darian Simon
Grade: Nic Apostoli
Audio: Pressure Cooker

#AdChamp: King Price Insurance— Roadblock  

We’ve come to expect light-hearted hilarity from King Price and, once again, the insurance company and Freckle have delivered.

While we all wait for travel bans to be lifted, it’s fun to imagine it would be as simple as hopping in our cars and heading for the nearest border; we also all know someone who just doesn’t understand how much things have changed and is taking a while to figure this out.

This glorious idea for King Price was inspired because Bennie Fourie and Bouwer Bosch of Freckle Creative Agency were actually stopped at a lockdown roadblock. According to Freckle, the two set up a writers’ room to work on concepts, asking what misunderstandings could arise from this situation and playing around with phrases such as “Ma’am, you’re hot” and the possible confusion caused. The ad was almost finished when Fourie had a lightbulb moment for the final joke and so the “permit” angle came to life to round out this hilarious ad.

Credits

Brand: King Price Insurance
Ad agency: Freck Creative Agency
Concept: Bennie Fourie, Bouwer Bosch, Schalk Bezuidenhout
Writer & director: Bennie Fourie
Editing: Bouwer Bosch
Music & foley: Peach van Pletzen
Director of photography: Brendan Barnes
Officer: Mbeu Kambuwa
Ditsy driver: Marijke Coetser

#AdChamp: Tops at Spar — Seriously Responsible  

Taking a pre-covid-19 ad and adapting it to make it relevant for now, when we wear masks everywhere we go and try to understand muffled voices, is genius. This ad also gets top marks because it was easily achievable through remote work; none of the people involved in this new version ever had to be in the same room.

This ad promotes safe shopping behaviour while making us laugh. The brilliant idea came to life when Tops at Spar suddenly had to find a way to encourage physical distancing in-store, when buying alcohol had become legal again under level-three lockdown restrictions. To create something new out of what’d worked in the past and make it silly, hilarious, and hopeful is also an achievement in itself.

Credits

Client: Tops at Spar
Ad agency: TBWA\Hunt Lascaris Durban
Executive creative director: Alan Edgar
Creative director: Marcelle du Plessis
Art director: Mike Haakestad
Agency producer: Heidi Rughubar
Business unit director: Robyn Buchanan
Production house: Gentlemen Films
Director: Greg Rom
Producer: Bryony Webster
DP: Brendan Barnes
Editor: Julian Redpath
Colourist: Nic Apostoli
Offline and online facility: The Upstairs Ludus
Offline and online facility producer: Mandy Biart
Online artist: Michael Naidoo
Music composition: Honeymoon Studios
Composer: Markus Wormstorm
Final mix: Lorens Persson, Sterling Sound

Credits for covid-19 version

Client: Tops at Spar
Agency: TBWA\Hunt Lascaris Durban
Executive creative director: Alan Edgar
Creative director: Marcelle du Plessis
Art director: Jonathan Lavender
Agency producer: Heidi Rughubar
Business unit director: Robyn Buchanan
Production company: TBWA\MOTION
VFX: Kunaal Hiraman
Final mix: Johan Prinsloo, TBWA\MOTION

See also

• Columns | #AdChamps – Kyle de Waal & Morgan Botha
• #OpenForBusiness — Radar
• #CoronavirusSA — Radar
• #CoronavirusSA – Special Section

Who are Kyle de Waal and Morgan Botha? We are two young-at-heart millennials trying with all our might to break the mould of the stereotypical ‘all millennials are the same…’ because — after all — we’re all just people. Together with the editors of MarkLives.com, we enjoy finding ads worth watching and talking about, and then showcasing them here in our new monthly MarkLives column, #AdChamps.

If you’re involved in making South African or African advertising that’s smart, funny and/or engaging, please let us know at [email protected].

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The post MarkLives #AdChamps of the Month [Jul 2020] appeared first on MarkLives.com.