Millward Brown is a leading global research agency that has a 35-year history of specialising in advertising; marketing; communications; media; and brand equity. The agency conducts independent research into the impact and success of advertising campaigns. The Castle Lager survey was conducted amongst 300 independent respondents consisting of consumer’s and non – consumers of the brand.

Account Director at Millward Brown, Natalie Otte, said the advert, which had an overarching theme of unity and celebration, connected exceptionally well with the audience on a personal and emotional level. “The music also came through as a critical element to the overall likeability of the execution, further aiding the cut-through potential of the television commercial.

“’Bula Boot’ engages the audience; is highly memorable; and the linkage to the brand is so strong that it has outperformed the database average of 279 executions. The brand has emerged as the thread that ties the whole story and the people together, evoking strong feelings of excitement; inspiration; and pride,” says Otte.

Television advertising is considered the heavyweight champion of all advertising mediums because it reaches into more households and touches more people than any other medium. It also uses pictures; words; sounds; and music to emotionally move and motivate prospects to action.

General Manager at Castle Lager, Alastair Hewitt, said the advert had one marketing objective – to deliver the brand message (Castle Lager brings South Africans together to welcome the world) in a way that was emotionally engaging.

“The Link™ Test results show that ‘Bula Boot’ succeeds in meeting this objective. It is a feel-good advert that connects well with the audience; delivers the message in a new and credible way; and creates differentiation for the brand, which will ultimately have a positive impact on brand perceptions,” says Hewitt.

Hewitt says the Bula Boot add allowed Castle to demonstrate its products in a visual way, ensuring that consumers see the benefits of the products without having physically experienced them.

“Some commercials are so entertaining and clever that one cannot remember what product or service they were promoting, but good commercials should motivate consumers to do something immediately and should provide messages that penetrate the customer’s mind and stay there for a while, which is what we achieved with this commercial,” says Hewitt.