Ads salute icon, common people

In August, to celebrate its 60th birthday, Volkswagen South Africa together with Ogilvy produced a short video showcasing the decades of amazing memories and iconic stories loved by the nation such as David Kramer's Volksiebus, Lucky the brave three-legged cheetah or the nostalgic soundtrack of "I remember the days of our lives..."

"By bringing South Africans together to reminisce over decades of memories, we are able to celebrate our anniversary with the people who matter most to us - our customers, suppliers and dealers. A video clip commemorating some of the wonderful moments we have shared with the public over the past 60 years seemed a perfect way to do this," says Carrin Merkel, Volkswagen marketing communications manager.

To view the video clip, go to www.vw.co.za/en/volkswagen-south-africa-celebrating-60-years.html.

Ordinary South Africans pitch the sale

Net#work BBDO has produced a multilingual marketing campaign for Nedbank's Ke Yona entry-level banking offering.

Zolani Mahola from Freshlyground features in the English version of the television commercial and two 'ordinary' South Africans, Mpho Pitini (who plays a nurse) and Michael Mabizela (who plays a shop assistant) appear in the Sesotho and isiZulu adverts respectively.

Shot in Port Elizabeth, the adverts follow Zolani, Mpho and Michael, as they chat to viewers about their aspirations while threading their way through the vibrant urban cityscape. The aim is to portray - in a simple, uncluttered manner - the daily lives of South Africans who are making things happen for themselves and who realise that banking with Nedbank could help enhance their lives.

Headed by executive creative director Rob McLennan, the creative team comprised copywriter Jeff Tyser and art director Donovan Goliath, with award-winning director Teboho Mahlatsi of the Bomb Production House also on board. Says McLennan, "As far as we are aware, this is the first time that a brand has commissioned separately scripted TV commercials in South Africa's vernacular languages.

The TV commercials began flighting at the beginning of July and a companion radio campaign is also being rolled out featuring ads in six of the country's official languages.