The public was challenged to take on Vlismas to a public roast and see who had the fastest comebacks. Even other comedians threw some 'shade' in Vlismas’s direction, and subsequently created conversation around Webafrica and taking ownership of the FasterFast Fibre category.  

Kate Royce, creative director at The Jupiter Drawing Room in Cape Town, says, “We needed to create communication that would make Webafrica’s FasterFast Fibre top of mind, and get people talking about the brand. South Africa likes social media. A lot. So, the obvious thing was to do something that would divert our nation's’ attention away from the #WhateverTheHeckIsTrendingThatDay, and make them see Webafrica’s Fibre as the fastest of them all." 

“We created #WebafricaRoast – a competition that rewarded the 'burniest' burn with a year’s supply of FasterFast Fibre from Webafrica. We kicked things off by promoting the roast on social media and challenged those brave enough to sharpen their sharp tongues in preparation for the big event. Then we gave John free reign over the Webafrica account for a day.”

A campaign like this can go south quickly, so Webafrica was armed with response GIFs featuring Webafrica’s brand mascot just in case anyone took the campaign too far.

Tim Wyatt-Gunning, CEO of Webafrica, adds, “It was a 'ballsy' move, but then, we’re a 'ballsy' company. The day played out better than we had hoped. It was unexpected, much like the Just skip it. If you can ad we’ve just produced with Jupiter Cape Town. The #WebafricaRoast felt like a natural progression for us, and working with John – who is a true professional – was a pleasure. We laughed a lot. Sometimes it was a nervous laugh, but we were interested in seeing where it went, and John and the greater Twittersphere did not disappoint.”

The #WebafricaRoast saw a 32% increase in Twitter followers, who have remained followers, and a 1 397.7% increase in engagement. Vlismas’s profile on Wikipedia has since been updated to include his work with Webafrica.  

For more information, visit www.webafrica.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.