The interactive campaign, rolled out by Trinergy Brand Connectors ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, was created for Vodacom - an official sponsor of the Springboks who are defending their title as world champions.

Trinergy Executive Creative Director Roger Tavares says: “The idea was to encourage South Africans to show their support for the Springboks by becoming part of the longest Shosholoza by recording themselves singing Shosholoza via cellphone or online.

“Fans were rewarded with Springbok content, apps, Shosholoza ringtones and the ultimate prize of an all expenses paid trip to the 2011 RWC.”

The uptake was huge, with more than 2000 unique videos uploaded and over 25 000 views downloaded on YouTube.

Tavares says this created a sense of excitement and rallied the support of all South Africans: “We used it to demonstrate the unlimited power that Vodacom offers rugby fans through Vodacom data products and services, where the fan is always the hero and Vodacom technology the enabler of fan empowerment.”

Trinergy CEO Haydn Townsend believes this broadened the target market: “This took us beyond the average rugby fan - while not everyone might love or understand rugby, we love our country, support our national teams and get behind them when they compete.”

Townsend says the traditional descriptor of what Trinergy does is called sponsorship leverage: “We however describe it as brand experience. This differentiation is absolutely critical. The former is very much about the exposure of the sponsorship. This can be very superficial and need not have ideas or brand agenda at its centre.

“Brand experiences by contrast are rooted in brand ideas. Our most successful recent examples include the Vodacom Unlimited Music Festival in Orlando and the current Shosholoza World Cup Rugby campaign.”

The campaign included television commercials, online, mobile and social media, print, radio, rugby specific programming and PR as well as mall voice booths where fans could record their songs.

South Africa truly got behind its team and today we reward them for their support.

The winners are:
Bedfordview’s Lizzie Maelane (dressed as a Tokoloshe)
Centurion’s Andrew Christie (painted green)
Chano le Grange (recorded at her wedding)
Parow’s Emile Jansen (with his young daughter)
Johannesburg’s Anthony Burns (singing across Africa)