Briefly…TheMediaOnline’s daily compilation of news snippets generated by what’s happening where and how and why in the media industry.
Eskom says ‘thank you’
Thirty-two Eskom branded buses are travelling across travelling across Gauteng, Tshwane, Bloemfontein, Durban, Cape Town and the Eastern Cape to thank its customers for helping save electricity.
“The buses are only branded at the back, which really works well in this particular campaign because of the impact it has on commuters. This three month campaign expands on the successful regional Thank You campaign Eskom ran recently in the print media,” said Charl Timms, CEO of SP Media whose buses – ‘mobile billboards’ – were used in the campaign.
From 2004 Eskom embarked on a free CFL exchange programme resulting in over 43 million energy saving light bulbs being distributed nationally, contributing to a saving of 1800MW of power.
SABC cancels live broadcast of Saftas
SABC2 will not be screening the fifth 5th South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) live this year, despite the channel being the established broadcaster since the event’s inception. The Saftas are South Africa’s only award ceremony that celebrates the television and film industry. According to the SABC, the decision was about ‘financial constraints’.
The Saftas, hosted by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), will be held at Madame Zingara’s Theatre of Dreams at Melrose Arch on February 20 (non-fiction segment) and February 27 (fiction categories).
The NFVF will film the event itself, and it might be licensed for a screening at a later date. In the meantime, DSTV’s Mzansi Magic channel has expressed interest in picking up the rights to broadcast the event – but not this year. The channel provides a platform for local productions, but of course, doesn’t have the reach of the public broadcaster.
Fashionable banking makes a mark
Standard Bank’s “let’s help you turn looking into buying” campaign, which ran at the Sandton City, Johannesburg branch from mid-December until the end of February 2011, has enabled the bank to cost-effectively explore new ways of bringing potential clients into branches.
According to Willie Cronje, head of channel marketing, “Specifically, we designed the campaign to interest consumers in our credit card – by creating a strong link in the consumer’s mind between retail clothing shopping and retail banking. We took advantage of the fact that people shop with their eyes. So, while they’re looking at fashion in our shop front, they can shop for the means to buy that fashion inside our branch. It’s a powerful call to action.
Even the bank’s competitors have been spotted taking photos of the ‘living’ display of mannequins dressed in outfits designed by the Cape-based Platinum Group, home to leading designer labels: Jenni Button, Hilton Weiner, Urban°, Aca Joe, and Vertigo. Jenny Button refreshed the display regularly, ensuring that consumers stayed engaged with the campaign, through anticipation of each refresh.
In developing the ‘turning looking into buying’ concept, Standard Bank worked closely with its advertising agency, TBWA, with TBWA and the Platinum Group focusing on execution. Mr Cronje says the campaign was extremely cost-effective, with only one day needed to set up the display, in relation to its direct and lasting impact on consumers.
Gin brand flies high with UFO
Hendrick’s Gin is thinking out of the box and using UFOs to promote the brand. It recently put PocketMedia Solution’s Unidentified Folding Object (UFO), a folding cardboard marketing solution, to the test to promote its Gin and drive consumers to its social media websites. By folding and unfolding the UFO, consumers can glimpse different campaign visuals whilst the payoff lines, ‘Tis an unusual world, drink appropriately’ and ‘A most unusual Gin’, create synergy with the UFO, a most unusual marketing concept in itself. “A UFO offers marketers and advertisers an impactful, fun and interactive way of getting their message across to consumers,” says John Davis, the managing director of PocketMedia Solutions.
Designed by Brandsmith, Edward Snell’s advertising agency, the UFO forms part of their Hendrick’s Gin brand ‘Curious Are You?’ advertising campaign and will be distributed at its brand activations throughout the year. “UFOs resemble a printed, paper Rubik Cube, offering Hendrick’s Gin the unusual element it needed to break through the clutter,” says Brandsmith’s Nikki Depene.
