The campaign has been lauded by many industry commentators, as well as the domestic and international tourism industry, including those tourism associations who compete with SA Tourism for a share of the global travel market.

For the initiative, the agency delved into stock footage libraries, but some of the imagery was shot on smartphones in employee homes and voice-overs were recorded over WhatsApp and Skype.

"The agency has been built around problem-solving when the pressure is on," says MetropolitanRepublic's chief creative officer Paul Warner. "It's not for nothing our web site proudly states that we deal in reality."

"Businesses cannot succeed in the modern world if they are not agile and responsive. A business, or a brand, needs to be a living, breathing, thinking organism, constantly responding accurately to real-time conditions," adds Warner. 

"It stands to reason then, that clients are looking for speed and agility. The agency that cannot deliver that, that is slow and cumbersome, will stumble at the first hurdle. MetropolitanRepublic embraces agile, real-time marketing that delivers. Our performance on this campaign proves our ability to do just that," Warner says. 

Crafted with an unreserved honesty and compassion for the hardships people and businesses are facing, four of the ads responded to the country's emotional needs, while the fifth communicated details of the Tourism Relief Fund.

The 90-second spots saw direction from:
  • chief creative officer Paul Warner
  • art director Mbuso Ndlovu
  • copywriting by executive creative director Kamogelo Sesing, and
  • copywriter Chiedza Quinchette.
The spots can be viewed here:
For more information, visit www.metropolitanrepublic.com. You can also follow MetropolitanRepublic on Facebook or on Twitter.