“And we’re baaaaaaack!” You may be forgiven if you thought I was talking about load shedding, because this too is back, but earlier in the week I heard a familiar voice, and it wasn’t Harold, from Harold’s Relationship Hotline.
It was the much loved Buddy, the talking dog that has made his way into several Toyota television adverts. What I loved about this advert is that it celebrates the overwhelming positive and often tongue-in-cheek attitude of South Africans in times of adversity. Buddy makes his reappearance off the back of what has been described as the worst calamity ever experienced by Toyota Motor Corporation with the flooding of their Durban plant earlier this year.
Toyota understands the South African psyche, and Buddy is their second TVC that is directly related to the unforeseen closure of their Kwa-Zulu Natal operation. After the flooding, Toyota embraced #rebuildingtogether and spoke to the challenge that lay ahead of them in a simplistic, but poignant advert. The use of anthemic South African songs in both adverts adds a layer of local pride and resilience.
As South Africans, we’re a proud bunch, and when brands understand the uniqueness of our fabric and passion as a nation, their brand messaging becomes more than an advertising opportunity, it becomes content that speaks to us. September is a month where we celebrate what it means to come from ZA. Food, drink, language, geography, history, and family are some of the elements that for part of our celebration of Heritage.
As a company, Red Bull has long employed a content strategy that resonates with their brand values and entrenches itself into lifestyle and culture. They have managed to translate for South Africa too! A quick visit to their website highlights their passion for people and human talent, their product (an energy drink) almost seems peripheral. Understanding their brand proposition and what their South African consumer is passionate about, Red Bull certainly hit pole position with a nine minute Superlap content piece.
Local heroes, motor sport, humour and South African nuance have resonated with consumers. One only needs to read the comments underneath the video posted on the Red Bull YouTube page to see evidence of this. Comments like, “this makes me immensely proud to be a South African” and “this is pure gold for a South African” can not be scripted better. This is not the first time we’ve enjoyed Red Bull content that capitalises on our love for motorsport and our Mzansi; it’s not many countries that have had their national anthem played by an F1 car!
South Africans are often united in iconic and ironic moments. From “My fellow South Africans” in lockdown to the more recent winning of the CAF Cup by Banyana Banyana, we revel in South Afrincan’ess. Cultural nuance is a major part of us defining ourselves and in Heritage Month, we get to celebrate our backgrounds, traditions and cultures as a nation made up of different cultures. There are some great examples of brands who’ve used the South African sense of humour and our on-going attempts to better understand each other’s culture. As King Price points out, there is a massive difference between being a Venda and vendor. The cringeworthy content encapsulates how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go and manages to tie this into their cheeky brand messaging.
South Africans love a hero and social media has allowed us to celebrate ordinary people doing extra-ordinary things. In May 2021 Leo Prinsloo became an overnight hero when he foiled a cash in-transit robbery. Footage from inside the vehicle quickly spread on social media and made news headlines across the world. The human story is about good overcoming bad, and this unscripted, real-life occurrence certainly captured the imagination of South Africans. The cool, calm, and collected reaction of Prinsloo, under pressure, was seen by tens of thousands of people as the video content quickly spread on a variety of social media platforms.
It was therefore no surprise when local courier company, The Courier Guy, used Prinsloo in their latest marketing campaign. They even mention him in the beginning of the advert as “the guy from the cash in-transit video.” The advert plays on references that many South Africans would understand from places to language, social norms, a cheeky spirit and a Police Academy movie undertone.
The essence and content of the advert are expertly brought back to the core of what the company does, delivering parcels in South African conditions. The effectiveness of the content was demonstrated this morning when I spotted a “The Courier Guy” vehicle, not only did I smile but I also wondered if that specific courier had also had the robust training given in the advert, despite knowing that the advert doesn’t depict the training they give their staff.
I’m sure that you can think of several other fantastic instances of brands that have aligned their products to the power of “local”. From Vernon Koekemoer to Makatini in the Lunchbar advert, there is power in celebrating what makes us unique and why it resonates with local audiences.
MediaHeads 360 revels in our make-up as a truly South African Team and we’d love to Activate, Captivate and Amplify your brand message using a localised content strategy. If you’d like to deliver a PK with your next campaign, we’d love to be your guy from the cash in-transit video.
