Mountaineer Sibusiso Vilane is certainly made of the right stuff. As the hero of the first advertisement in Windhoek’s latest brand campaign, Vilane’s inspirational story comes over as honest and humorous. The real deal.
Vilane is the first black African to scale all seven of the world’s major mountain peaks and the first to successfully summit the world’s greatest and most revered mountain, Everest. And this is why the beer brand chose him as an ambassador for the Windhoek brand. The company believes he illustrates the inherent values of its marketing campaign.
The campaign focuses on men who are ‘Made of the Right Stuff’. Men who are ‘self-made, hardworking, respected and inspiring South Africans’. The adverts form part of a larger movement, which sees individuals from all walks of life unite under Windhoek’s Pure Beer Society banner.
“We at Windhoek have always been proud of the fact that our beer is brewed in line with the Reinheitsgebot – the the oldest food law dating back to 1516 which stipulates that beer should only contain malted barley, hops and water. We subscribe to this law as we believe this is the truest, most authentic way to brew 100% pure beer,” says Alan Roberts, Windhoek marketing manager.
“Looking at the principles of the brand’s founders, still upheld today, the idea was born to recognise individuals of the same calibre, men of substance who have the courage to be true to themselves. We tell the stories of several different men, all of who are self-made, inspirational men, men who are ‘Made of the Right Stuff’,” he says.
The Pure Beer Society, a society for pure beer drinkers and for men who identify with the concept of ‘Made of the Right Stuff’, is centred on an online portal which celebrates the brewing and drinking of 100% pure beer, and also includes stories about inspirational men who have stayed true to themselves.
