Ogilvy Johannesburg MD, Julian Ribeiro, says the LOC wanted to do something that would leave a lasting impression on South Africans and visitors alike. “Of the many ideas we came up with, the LOC chose the branding for Nelson Mandela Bridge,” he says.
Two massive posters (23 metres x 11 metres on the Braamfontein side and 11 metres x 11 metres on the Newtown side) depict Nelson Mandela holding the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy aloft and the World Cup theme, 'Ke Nako – Celebrate Africa’s Humanity'.
“Nelson Mandela represents so much of what we as South Africans aspire to – dignity; humanity; and unity, and it was fitting that we use the bridge named after him and pay homage to him and the role he has played in liberating South Africa,” says Ribeiro.
This is just one of the many campaigns that Ogilvy Johannesburg has been involved in to show their support for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“It has been an honour for us to be so intimately involved in several campaigns for clients such as South African Tourism; Castle Lager; SuperSport; BP; FIFA; and FIFA Local Organising Committee, who are all actively involved in this once-ina-lifetime event,” Ribeiro says
Ogilvy Johannesburg has created memorable World Cup campaigns for its clients, such as Castle Lager’s ‘Bula Boot’ and ‘Super Fans’ campaigns; BP’s award winning ‘SA United’ campaign; SuperSport’s ‘Once in a Lifetime’ campaign; FIFA’s ‘Make sure you were there’ campaign; the famous Diski Dance, which was created for SA Tourism; and now being part of the momentous unveiling of the Nelson Mandela Bridge.
The entire campaign took six weeks to produce. The visual of Nelson Mandela was provided by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the visuals for the 'guard of honour' were shot locally. The posters are made out of mesh and mounted on the pylons to ensure their longevity. “It took eight hours and many people to erect the posters. Watching the riggers climb pylons was a hair-raising spectacle,” says Ribeiro.
In addition, 300 metre banners or 'guards of honour' were erected along the length of the bridge on all four sides. The massive banners portray people representative of the six participating African countries in their traditional gear in celebratory mode.
Given the 30 000 cars that cross the bridge per day, the 40 000 cars a day that can see the branding from the Queen Elizabeth Bridge and the140 000 commuters though the Newtown area and 130 000 commuters through local taxi ranks near the bridge daily, the branding will be seen by more than six-million people every month.
“And that’s not mentioning the masses of people around the globe, who will see the incredible visuals of Nelson Mandela when the world cup is being screened,” says Ribeiro.
A large contingent of Ogilvy staff were out in force at the unveiling of massive posters and banners for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee on the Nelson Mandela Bridge.