Creating in Afrikaans is 'koel'

While the creative agency ETIKET prides itself in being language and media-neutral when it comes to clients, the creative team jumps at each and every opportunity to conceptualise and create fresh and original Afrikaans work.

Director Tiaan Ras says; “ETIKET has two clients who are specifically mandated to promote and ‘be’ Afrikaans. Creating Afrikaans work for them is great, more so when it catches the eye and reaches Pendoring finalist status. Besides the latest tally of four finalists, ETIKET already boasts six Pendorings (three gold and three silver) in the trophy cabinet.

However, irrespective of the language of execution, the agency’s main focus remains to reimagine effective creative solutions that will meet the client’s business objectives, Ras stresses.
Etiket’s four Pendoring finalists are part of two bigger campaigns, titled Kief Koekies and Haal die Taai uit Taal (Remove the Anguish from Language).

Kief Koekies

Ras explains; “When client, Riekie Venter, approached ETIKET to create a website for her home bakery, we knew it couldn’t be run-of-the-mill, simply because Riekie is hardly your average ‘tuisnywerheid-tannie’. Riekie has a rose tattoo on her ankle (and somewhere else, but that’s a different conversation), and she watched Magic Mike. Twice.  But above all else, Riekie is the go-to-girl for all your sweet pleasures – from cookies, cakes and rusks to savoury bites. Enter Kief Koekies.

“The site was designed to present each product individually in an aesthetically pleasing way, while adding some narrative to entice visitors to give in to their cravings. Within two weeks of launching the site, Kief Koekies’ Facebook page reached nearly 400 likes - and shows no sign of slowing down. Why? Want dis lekker,” says Ras. 

Haal die Taai uit Taal

With 11 official languages, South Africans often run into language barriers – especially when dealing with state departments. It is for this reason that the Use of Official Languages Act came into being, stipulating that one may insist on being served in any one of the three most spoken languages in any given province, says Ras.

“To create awareness, we created a campaign for the ATKV (Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging), illustrating how frustrating it is when trying to communicate something simple in a language with which you are not comfortable. Along with posters, we created print ads, as well as a direct mailer, which were delivered at various government officials, appealing to them to adhere to the implementation deadline,” says Ras.

Ras continues; “We took everyday objects and described them in a foreign language. This clearly showed how difficult it can be to describe something, or to communicate a concept, when one is not comfortable with the language in which you are trying to communicate.” 

Pendorings going forward

Ras’ vision for Pendoring entails as a two-fold strategy. “Firstly, it should award excellent and truly South African creative marketing. There is a growing gap in the awardscape to award not only unique creative concepts, but unique concepts true to our country and context. This is not a celebration of language, but a celebration of our culture(s).”

“Secondly, in celebrating the diversity of our country, Pendoring should play a ‘category job’ and promote mother-tongue advertising; not only Afrikaans advertising, but in all the other indigenous languages spoken by our diverse society. By promoting and awarding the use of all the languages in SA, my beloved mother tongue Afrikaans will find a natural place in an all-inclusive environment,” says Ras.

For more information, visit www.pendoring.co.za. Alternatively connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.