According to the duo, the campaign required a lot of planning, especially behind the scenes planning.

This included having to present the concept to the Dunlop CEO at the airport, as well as scouring KwaZulu-Natal for a pothole big enough to film an ad in. The team additionally had to knock on the mayor of Howick's front door for filming permissions and find a comedian that didn't mind getting rubble in his shoes.

"The execution was exciting. We hopped on to a bus for a two-hour ride to frosty Howick to introduce South Africa to Pothole FM, the world's first radio studio in a pothole," says Brandon Govender, integrated executive creative director at Joe Public Durban.

"We set out to find the perfect road hazard and with the help of a camera crew and comedian Robby Collins. We recorded our radio ad from that pothole. The total production time was one day. We hit the road at 05:00, arriving in Howick at 07:00 to record the radio ad, as well as film our campaign videos," adds Govender.

"After another two hours on the road, we headed to the studio to record the audio. And within four days, Pothole FM flighted," Govender says.

Lubin Ozoux, CEO of Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (which manufactures Dunlop Tyres in Africa) says, "The 'Pothole FM' campaign is Dunlop's way of ensuring that South Africans be as confident on the road as they are off the road."

"The campaign was not only innovative but bold. We just wanted to showcase that you can have peace of mind with Dunlop Sure tyre cover. And because we're so confident about the quality of our tyres, we've made Dunlop Sure free," concludes Ozoux.

The campaign was leveraged across digital platforms with:
  • behind-the-scenes content
  • an in-pothole East Coast Radio interview, and
  • PR amplification.
For more information, visit www.joepublic.co.za. You can also follow Joe Public United on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.