By Darren Gilbert
Luckily, this has been for all the right reasons. “It’s also been a year where the importance of PR has shifted into the limelight through some truly magnificent local campaigns,” says
Du Preez. James Wilson, GM & VP for
Waggener Edstrom South Africa, agrees, saying 2015 has been a watershed year for the communications industry.
Having said that, it’s worth having a look at the campaigns that caught our PR experts’ attention this year to see what we can learn from them.
A truly ‘One of a Kind’ campaign with Santam
Sanlam’s ‘One Rand Man’ campaign has been highly praised since its launch,
winning a number of prominent awards. It also set the bar for successful financial advertising. But what about Santam’s
‘One of a Kind’ campaign, which portrays South Africa’s uniqueness courtesy of a number of international tourists?
For Wilson, this campaign was one of his favourites. “Good advertising appeals to a human emotion, which in turn connects directly to the brand, ultimately creating brand stickiness.”
Santam is on the money with taking the mundane, everyday things that we take for granted and turning them into something unique and beautiful, he says. It’s also an effective use of humour.
“Very few commercials and campaigns have the ability to resonate and make a difference,” adds Wilson. “This definitely approaches our unique local context with the ‘glass half full’ perspective.”
DIY PR success with Suzelle
Anyone who lives in South Africa and hasn’t heard of Suzelle DIY has been living under a rock. The now popular South African YouTuber erupted onto the scene practically out of nowhere. And the public seem to love her, as her videos have garnered hundreds of thousands of views.
For Du Preez, the
Suzelle DIY phenomenon is a hybrid of various disciplines. “I’ve been impressed with how the simple piece of communication – a video on how to make a ‘braai pie’ – evolved into a fully-fledged brand with synergies across a variety of consumer categories.”
“Her tips are not only valuable life hacks, but the quirky and non-offensive humour (apart from the occasional swear word) is [also] a much-neglected PR campaign ingredient that we have become stingy with,” she adds.
Laughter is still great medicine, points out Du Preez. “Communication messages should be considered carefully for, and beyond, the intended audiences to ensure that it is practical and entertaining for all, but we should remain proud of our South African flavoured humour.”
The sunburnt Nivea Doll
Having looked at two local campaigns, it’s time for a bit of international flavour, courtesy of Nivea.
For Marion Marais, digital communications manager at
Boomtown, the
Nivea Doll campaign was one of her favourites. “The campaign not only appealed to kids, but also created an educational experience with the colour of the doll changing to red when left in the sun,” she says.
“This visually showed the kids why they needed sunscreen, but also provided a distraction while the moms applied sunscreen, lessening the stress for both parties.” What is even better about this campaign is that it can also be adapted to South Africa, believes Marais.
“This could potentially save thousands of lives which are lost each year due to skin cancer,” she says. Education is key to changing mindsets, and this campaign shows that there is room for PR to play in the public education space.
What are your thoughts? Are there any campaigns that you liked that we didn’t mention? Tell us about them in the comments below.