It's the thin line between reality and fantasy. It's the thin line between sanity and madness. It's the crazy things that make us think, laugh and scream in the dark.
I am hardly ever at a loss for words. Usually only when a teenager cleans up without being asked. It happens. Rarely, but it does.
Most of the time, I am quite erudite. However, now that I must resort to shameless self-promotion, I find it a little challenging.
I’ve sold all sorts of things for other people, but (like following good advice) it’s easy to do it for others and hard to do for yourself. Perhaps I should hire another writer to do it for me? The thought has crossed my mind, but needs must and all that good stiff upper lip stuff.
Basically, I’m in the market for a writing job – permanent, freelance you name it. (I draw the line at wedding invites. Thanks to the pangolin-eating moron that started this pandemic I find myself armed with a pencil without a word to write.
If you feel like feeding the hungry mouth of a copywriter, please feel free to drop me a line. This fish is hungry and will bite (as long as the lure isn’t a Brussels Sprout).
Castle Lager believes in the unifying power of sports to harness the collective spirit of unity. For, when we’re united in celebration, we truly become one nation.
In 2019, all our national sporting teams qualified to participate in major tournaments. Castle Lager tasked us to create the ultimate supporters jersey, for Mzansi to unite behind our national teams. As one supporters’ team with one jersey.
Castle Lager identified six pivotal sporting moments that united our nation.
1995 Final Match Springboks vs All Blacks
1996 Africa Cup of Nations Bafana Bafana vs Tunisia
1998 ICC Knockout tournament The Proteas vs The Windies ODI
2006 – The 438 Game The Proteas vs The Aussies ODI
2007- Final match Springboks vs England
2010- Opening Match Bafana vs Mexico
We used these 6 awesome national sporting moments to create a new fabric, the fabric of our nation. We did this by photographing at macro-shot the original jersey fabrics and once digitized wove recognisable sections of them all into one. Part of the magic lies in the fact that the 6 jerseys we used were the very ones worn on the field.
These shirts became part of a limited-edition supporters’ kit available only at the launch of the ‘ultimate supporters’ jersey’ at Nelson Mandela Square. The design didn’t end with the shirt, we then carried it over to a limited-edition collectors set of Castle Lager cans that hero each event.
Limited Edition Can Copy
1995 FINAL MATCH SPRINGBOKS VS ALL BLACK 24.06.1995 15 – 12
This LIMITED EDITION Can is inspired by one of the greatest days in our Rugby history! 43million of us united behind our team and erupted in elation as a drop goal scored in extra time sealed the Springboks’ victory and Tournament title.
1996 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS BAFANA BAFANA VS TUNISIA 03.02.1996 2 – 0
This LIMITED EDITION Can is inspired by one of the most defining event in South African football. It was the first tournament since re-admission which saw Bafana Bafana grasp their first AFCON Trophy. With every goal and every save, we made our mark on history.
1998 ICC KNOCKOUT TOURNAMENT THE PROTEAS VS THE WINDIES ODI 01.11.1998 245/10 – 248/6
This LIMITED EDITION Can is inspired by the first ICC KnockOut Tournament throphy to be lifted by the Proteas Cricket Team. It was a game that defined our passion, our spirit and our Nation.
2006 – THE 438 GAME THE PROTEAS VS THE AUSSIES ODI 12.03.2006 434/4 – 438/9
This LIMITED EDITION Can is inspired by the Proteas. After Australia set the world record for the most runs scored in an ODI innings – 434, The Proteas successfully chased them down with one wicket to spare in the greatest One Day International match ever played.
2007 – FINAL MATCH SPRINGBOKS VS ENGLAND 20.10.2007 15 – 6
This LIMITED EDITION Can is inspired by the Springboks, who in 2007, lifted the Trophy for the second time in history. Once again, making us proud to call South Africa our home.
At the end of every year, Sunshinegun tries to do something really special for our clients and friends. Something that brings light for the soul, eye or in this case, mouth.
In 2018, we gave everyone a beautiful little box. A box that’s also a baking tray, a baking tray filled with the precise ingredients and recipe for a delicious Sunshine cake.
And yes, Sunshine cake is a real thing, we discovered it in an old recipe book. To make the cake perfect we asked Ottolenghi trained chef, Danielle Postma, to help us. Her touch ensured that, if you followed the recipe, you’d end up with an absolutely perfectly baked, delicious cake.
But, perfection takes more than just precise measurements. That’s where the bake box comes in.
It turns out an incorrect size (volume) baking tray is the prime culprit in many cake-baking catastrophes. So, we sourced Trayforma®; an innovative eco-friendly paperboard. It features an advanced three-layer fibre construction with CTMP in the middle layer, making it lightweight but sti. It has a trick up its sleeve… it can really take the heat. That’s because the white PET coating on the outside makes it oven proof.
You bake the cake right in the box; the box is the perfect sized baking tray. Voila! Delish!
With #fakenews trending, people don’t know what content they can trust, making the choice of platforms to advertise brands difficult. Afrikaans platforms aren’t top of mind when planning. In the digital planning world, it is programmatic first with little consideration of the implications if an advertisement ends amongst fake news.
‘Waar of Wolhaar’ was created to tap into the #fakenews trend in order to demonstrate the value and credibility of real news. The game showcased and highlighted Afrikaans to demonstrate the uniqueness of this community, their love for their language and to reignite advertisers’ interest in them as a market.
Our strategy was to identify a mechanism that would allow us to:
Build the credibility of REAL news platforms.
Demonstrate the value of the Afrikaans market in South Africa.
Showcase Ads24 ability to target the market effectively and increase sales across our Afrikaans titles.
The South Africa market is diverse and we aimed to emphasise the value of the Afrikaans community to regain advertisers interest.
‘Waar of Wolhaar’ was developed as a very relevant, South African, Afrikaans game using Afrikaans (and South African) phrases, words and topical information to create hysterical ‘true or false’ combinations.
Audience members played a round of the game onstage with South African renowned comedian, Jason Goliath. Exciting spot prizes (Apple watches) were handed out to the funniest answers. Throughout the day the audience was encouraged to share their favourite ‘Afrikaans Audience insight’ via the Twitter hashtag #inroADS24 and to follow us on Twitter.
Everyone received a pack of ‘Waar of Wolhaar’ cards to play at home, incorporating three unique promotional advertising deals. Among the game cards, which spice up any dull dinner party, were some intriguing insights – did you know that Afrikaans speakers are twice as likely as your average South African to shop online?
The results
A 411% increase in advertising sales as a direct result of the activation is the true measure of its success.
A 20% increase in Twitter followers during the roadshow.
A 2001% increase in Twitter engagement.
An average rate of 4:32 views on Netwerk24 making it the most engaged brand on ads24.co.za.
R 3 126 111 worth of overall brand exposure in terms of PR and the reach of #inroADS24 – that’s approximately R1 million more than the average Ads24 has ever received.
In 2017, Ads24 wanted to give media industry professionals a bespoke opportunity to interact with (not just listen to) top South African academic and technological futurists.
We wanted to provoke thought, feed curiosity and create an immersive experience leaving the audience with a sense of togetherness in unpacking and exploring the unknown.
From the invitation to the venue, from the event to the experience, each step was curated to create a futuristic environment for discussion.
Ads24 Food for Thought won Best Trade Marketing Campaign at the AMASA awards and the ‘Best in Africa’ Award at the INMA Global Media Awards
Amasa (the Advertising and Media Association of South Africa) hosts its annual awards to celebrate high quality “all-rounder’ media campaigns that are based on sound insights underpinned by great ideas that are carried through with a perfectly executed strategy to achieve measurable results. The awards have become the benchmark in celebrating media excellence and innovation across 22 categories.
Nando’s PERi-Gin and PERi-Moonshine is a limited edition small batch series of 600 bottles, handmade and assembled by a craft distiller in downtown Johannesburg. The alcohol is infused with Nando’s beloved PERi-PERi chillies making each sip a uniquely warm and friendly affair.
To celebrate provenance and to bring this story more to life we traveled to Mozambique where we collected bucket loads of rich gray soil from the PERi-Farm fields. Back home, we used this soil in a mixture, into which each bottle was carefully dipped, ending up with a bottle that looks like it’s just been plucked from the earth.
The result was a PERi-Gin and PERi-Moonshine that not only tasted of PERi-PERi, but also carried with it the very soil that the good stuff grows in.This gin and moonshine comes to you ‘Da nossa terra’ (from our soil).
As the birthplace of Nando’s PERi-PERi, Mozambique plays a massive role in the story of the brand’s heritage and provenance.
Over the years there have been many efforts made to show Nando’s love for the people who tend the PERi-fields. Last year the business declared war on malaria in Mozambique – a disease that remains one of the biggest killers in sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2017, the Nando’s family united to Fight Malaria, the commitment was simple; to raise money to help fund spraying projects in Mozambique. Everyone pulled together to sell bracelets, limited edition sauces, collect donations and host fundraising events to make a difference.
From a challenge in Mozambique and a campaign designed in South Africa, to implementation in the UK and back to Mozambique, we created a full circle that affected the Nando’s family around the world.
We developed a campaign identity inspired directly by the process of spraying repellents. The campaign look conveyed a reminder to everyone of how we are working to Fight Malaria in Mozambique.
Amasa (the Advertising and Media Association of South Africa) hosts its annual awards to celebrate high quality “all-rounder’ media campaigns that are based on sound insights underpinned by great ideas that are carried through with a perfectly executed strategy to achieve measurable results. The awards have become the benchmark in celebrating media excellence and innovation across 22 categories.
The Blurred Line 