CityROCK climbs to new heights with ad campaign

The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town was commissioned to create CityROCK's latest print campaign, and the ads have received more than their fair share of talk time thus far!

Superhuman playground

Even Spiderman would be put to the test if asked to carry out the tasks featured in the series of advertisements. Exploring the various advantages of learning to rock climb at CityROCK, the ads depict amusing would-be scenarios at unbelievable altitudes.

In the first ad we see a glorious graffiti design sprayed to the underside of a bridge many metres above the ground. Impossible? Clearly not!

The second ad takes us to the scene of an extra-marital affair where the naked "trespasser" clings to the side of a ten storey building, next to an open window, as if magnetically held to the brick wall.

The final print ad broadcasts the popularity of CityROCK as a children's party venue. A measuring wall proudly displays the heights of three children aged 4, 6 and 8 - the oldest of which is somewhere close to the rafters of the roof, high above the doorframe.

Family fun

CityROCK, established in 2003, is situated in Observatory and caters for the entire family.

"We pride ourselves on the wide range of facilities that we have made accessible to climbers of all ages," says CityROCK partner Robert Breyer.

"Cape Town is alive with outdoorsy-type people who are always looking for a way to escape from the stresses of everyday life. As Capetonians, I think that our establishment is something to be proud of. It certainly rivals the climbing gyms abroad," he says.

"CityROCK gives adventurers yet another option of physical activity. We have an area where children are correctly guided and taught the skills of rock-climbing, and a beginner course which introduces adults to this form of exercise. There is no need for any member of the family to be left out," he says with a laugh.

"We find that many people are tired of the boredom of doing weights or sitting on a treadmill in order to get some exercise. Indoor climbing combines fitness with fun," says Breyer.

Naked talent

Due to budgetary constraints, Jupiter CT was forced to cut a few corners. Model fees were the first to be left off the list of must-haves. Creative Director Livio Tronchin, an avid adventure sportsman himself, was only too happy to pose in the buff in one of the ads.

"This is not exactly the way that I intended to put my 'skills' to use when briefed on the job," says Tronchin, "but CityROCK is a great brand to work on and I was excited about the possibility of exploring the hyperbole of height in this campaign."

"Clients like CityROCK allow an agency a certain amount of creative freedom," says Tronchin, "so a small problem like not having budget for a model was no reason to turn down the job," he adds with a smile.


Widespread appeal

The ads can be seen in Cape Town's many community newspapers, a logical medium that reaches the doorstep of a large percentage of Capetonian families.

As school holidays draw to a close, one suspects that it won't just be teachers that are crawling up the walls this term!