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

• #ProteaFire from New Balance
• Nedbank opts for AdLites
• Jamie’s Italian Restaurant opens in SA with local chef

Rabada feels the fire

New Balance South Africa and Cricket South Africa (CSA) have launched the 2016/17 Proteas replica kits with a launch promo titled “Feel the Fire”, which encourages fans to support the team and wear the kit.

“Feel the Fire”, created by communications agency, Levergy, and produced by CSquared Productions, shows the journey of a young Kagiso Rabada recollecting the emotions he felt when putting on his country’s colours at different stages of his life, culminating in putting on his Proteas kit.

In a series of video content, selected Proteas speak about the feelings they experience when they put on the jersey, including the responsibility to the South African nation every time they walk out onto the cricket pitch. The players encourage South Africans to Feel the #ProteaFire by purchasing their replica kits in support of the team.

Comments Proteas Test and ODI captain, AB de Villiers, “We really want South Africans to feel the pride and patriotism every time they put on the jersey, just like we do. There’s nothing better than walking out at home games seeing fans in their Proteas shirts and knowing they’re behind us all the way.”

Craig Bowen, country manager of New Balance South Africa, says, “In designing this year’s kits, we were inspired by the sense of pride and emotion the Proteas get every time they put on the jersey. Each kit is unique in its own right and we can’t wait to see the public donning them at stadia around the country.”

The replica kits are available now at selected stores across the country or online.

newbalance.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
www.levergy.co.za • Facebook • Twitter

 

Connecting with communities

Nedbank has chosen to use a national outdoor directional-signage project to maintain and build brand awareness, serve and connect with communities, and ensure a greater level of convenience for its customers.

Click to view slideshow.

Primedia Outdoor’s AdLites — internally illuminated street signs, which provide directional advertising signage, and 24-hour branding — are the medium of choice.

Comments Vanessa Singh, head of retail and business bat Nedbank, “Nedbank’s fast-growing presence in several communities has seen the brand’s awareness and resonance growing significantly across the country. It is therefore important to ensure that all our points of presence, in particular the branches and ATMs, are easily located. In some communities, directional signage is often used as a landmark and, as such, we believe the Nedbank brand helps to facilitate directional requirements or conversations within the communities.”

According to Katharine Liese, business unit manager for The Media Shop, a key insight into the strategy in smaller communities is that, very often, directional signage locations are used as waypoints in the towns: “This results in the brand being embedded into daily conversation within the community — building familiarity, recognition and consideration passively.”

Liese provides several other reasons for incorporating AdLites into a media strategy: “From a channel perspective, directional signage contributes on many levels: it provides for an always-on presence in key areas, delivers convenience and establishes the scale of the bank in communities, reinforcing a reason to believe in the brand, by providing an accessible and easily locatable service.”

primeoutdoor.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
nedbank.co.za • Facebook • Twitter

Jamie comes to Jozi

A home-grown chef is set to take the helm of the first Jamie Oliver restaurant in South Africa — Jamie’s Italian Restaurant, situated in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg.

Click to view slideshow.

Jamie’s Italian, which was founded by celebrity chef and healthy food campaigner, Jamie Oliver, has appointed Shane Smit as group head chef. Hailing from Springs, Gauteng, Smit gave up the chance to become a lawyer to pursue his passion for food and spent a year working at the first Jamie’s Italian restaurant in Oxford, UK, which opened in 2008.

The Jamie Oliver Group is a commercial business with a social purpose: “We make a difference through global campaigning, creating incredible content, world class [sic] dining experiences and products that define our values in order to educate the world around the importance and joy of real food.”

Jamie’s Italian will bring a menu full of local flavour and rustic Italian-inspiration: “Being able to really localise the type of dishes served at Jamie’s Italian, thanks to the relationship we have with local farmers and producers, makes the process of whatever is served, and the final product, really genuine and honest.”

jamiesitalian.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
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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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