The release of the Millward Bown 'most loved TV adverts' has become a much anticipated event for brands across the country. Championed by Charles Foster, CEO of Millward Bown, the ratings are put together based on direct responses from consumers themselves, giving advertisers and brands a clear indication of whether they have in fact 'hit their mark'. With two of DStv’s TV adverts featuring in the 2010 top ten alongside brands such as BMW, Toyota and Coca-Cola, Colleen Goodman, Marketing Manager: DStv, says that it’s extremely gratifying to see that it’s not just DStv programmes that consumers want to watch: “Our brand is built on the enchantment of TV as a medium. While DStv has come to be associated with the latest and top shows and series, it’s equally important for us to demonstrate the brand’s leadership through its advertising, particularly when it comes to TV. Creating TV adverts that deliver on our promise of ‘so much more’ is therefore a non-negotiable for the brand.”

With 'brand-building' the key objective for many of DStv’s TV promos, including the 'hole in one' and 'style shows/chopsticks' spots, adverts are usually tailored to speak to subscribers across the continent. “As promo-makers, we’re tasked with speaking to existing subscribers; informing and educating them about DStv, and reminding them why they love the brand,” explains Adi Leach, Director at Studio Zoo (the creative team behind DStv’s television campaigns). “In speaking to such a diverse audience however, our starting point is always to evoke an emotion. This is because emotion unifies an audience – even one that extends across a continent like DStv’s.”

Leach adds that humour works especially well, particularly when you can tap into a 'home truth' as was the case with both the 'hole in one' and 'style shows/chopsticks' adverts: “Finding ‘stories’ that an audience can relate to on a personal level usually gives you that magic ingredient for a TV ad. We’re especially fortunate at Studio Zoo in that we brainstorm ideas with the DStv team, meaning that the concept for the advert can come from anyone during one of our workshops. Colleen made the suggestion for the ‘hole in one’ advert for example, and we then developed the storyline and characters, focusing mainly on the comedic elements of the situation. In the case of the ‘style shows/chopsticks’ advert, the idea was to push smarter viewing by subscribers. We originally conceptualised the script around DStv’s medical series (all about the make-up of fatty deposits), but this subsequently evolved into a take on the lifestyle series instead as it provided us with more comedic and ‘surprise’ potential.”

With the 'hole in one' and 'style shows/chopsticks' adverts receiving liking ratings of 8.5 and 8.4 respectively, Goodman says that future adverts will continue to reinforce the benefits of the brand, and assist subscribers to make smarter viewing choices, “Because of the spectrum of channels and choices available on DStv, a lot of our advertising is about assisting busy subscribers to get the most out of the offering: showing them what’s available and piquing their interest to try something new.”

As to what subscribers can look forward to next? “We’re going to use this vote of confidence to continue doing what we do every day: finding stories that tickle or enchant us; stories which we all could potentially star in, and bring these to life,” says Leach. “There are already a couple of new ones in development right now – so keep watching this space!”