Absa's new ATL campaign for CIB aims to enhance its 'Africanacity'

The campaign was conceptualised and created by Mortimer Harvey, the TTL agency for Absa Corporate and Investment Banking.

Andrew Fradd, group managing director of Mortimer Harvey, says the campaign was born from the need for Absa CIB to reestablish itself in the market and to further entrench Absa’s new positioning of ‘Africanacity’ – the distinctly African ability to always find ways to get things done.

"The challenge put forward from the client was to do so in a unique way that would break the category and differentiate Absa CIB from its competitors," says Fradd.

Andrew Ambrogioni, Mortimer Harvey’s chief creative officer, says, "We are innovators, entrepreneurs, visionaries, revolutionaries, humans. It speaks to the ingenuity that epitomises our continent, and to the tenacity of our spirit; we know no limits, we challenge the expected and we always find a way to get things done."

He adds, "It is children who are most connected to this truth, uncluttered by sometimes negative experiences that confuse us in later life, that induce fears that stifle our spirit and create imaginary limitations. Children are not burdened by these fears."

Ambrogioni says, "This is a story about the purity of the human spirit – of the African spirit – and our unbridled potential for creative, inspiring, innovative thought and action."

"Above all, it is a uniquely African story – the tale of the human spirit facing uniquely African challenges and opportunities,  and overcoming them. A story in which we, and the world around us, will change the future through an all-encompassing spirit – Africanacity," he says.

The campaign is led by a 60-second TV advert that showcases a girl and the way she sees the world. It culminates in an older version of herself.


Ambrogioni says the media placements for C-suite audiences needed careful consideration and planning in order to create an extremely targeted campaign.

"To spread the positioning message to C-suite audiences, the campaign consisted of out-of-home elements – Gautrain stations and digital billboards in key business centres, airport and airport lounge branding, print and press ads in business publications, digital touchpoints across relevant sites and platforms, and cinemagraphs and posts on LinkedIn and Twitter," says Ambrogioni.

Clement Motale, head of marketing and corporate relations at Corporate and Investment Banking, adds, "For us, it’s exactly how we would like this part of the bank to be seen, and to be experienced by our clients and colleagues, in that we don’t see boundaries – we see the possibilities in every opportunity."

For more information, visit www.absa.co.za. You can also follow Absa Group on Facebook or on Twitter.