An abducted child was returned to its mother after being taken in a car that had a satellite tracking service in what is a clear case of a commercial coming to life.
The rescue of the child was facilitated by a Tracker device in the car the abductor used, and came just two months after Tracker launched its emotive true stories commercial on television.
Two-year-old Isabella Krog was abducted in Durban by her father in January this year. Ten days after her disappearance she was tracked down in Kimberley and reunited safe and sound with her mother.
“The commercial hit a nerve amongst consumers last year and the kidnapping case of baby Isabella highlights the fact that following her recovery, with the assistance of Tracker, she will also have the opportunity of creating her own lifetime of memories,” says Tracker’s Marketing Manager Bronwynn Tippett.
The Tracker campaign, created by Joe Public near the end of 2010, was based on true stories aimed at showing that Tracker is not just about recovering cars. The human element is key.
In the television advert, Joe Public shows how a baby rescued from a hijacked car by a Tracker employee lives a long and meaningful life, which she may not have had, if not for Tracker.
The payoff line on the advertisement reads ‘’she won’t remember him, but he’s given her a lifetime of memories”.
Isabella’s father had borrowed a friend’s car that police subsequently discovered had been installed with a Tracker system.
Tracker then activated the unit and guided the police to the exact location in Kimberley where the father had been holding the child. Within 20 minutes, baby Isabella was safe.
Prior to shooting this television commercial, Joe Public conducted a series of in-depth interviews with non-tracked drivers to understand Tracker’s market. During the research, perceptions of the interviewees were changed through one question: What if your child was in the backseat of your stolen vehicle?
Says Pepe Marais, Executive Creative Director at Joe Public, “The truest form of communication comes from real insights told by everyday people. Following our research we stumbled across a super Insight that clearly defines all that is at stake for the brand.”
“At the time none of us imagined the concept behind this advertisement would become a reality once again,” says Pepe. “We are ecstatic that through this insight the public is realising that Tracker is not just about tracking motor vehicles but can be used in ensuring the safe return of a daughter to her mother.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Anton Booysen from the South African Police Service, who was involved in the case and instrumental in re-uniting mother and daughter, said afterwards that thanks to Tracker they were able to trace missing Isabella and ensure her safe recovery within record time.
