[Orchids & Onions] One-of-a-kind feeling is a reason to smile

We know we are unique - but we also know that an unacceptably high proportion of the things that make us unique are negative in nature.

And, although we have been able to laugh at ourselves, humour has been hard to find in the wake of the shambles in Parliament.

Yet, because of that, I do find the Santam ad makes me smile - and colleagues feel the same. It's a reminder that, to paraphrase Desiderata, despite its aridity and disenchantment, South Africa can still be a wonderful world.

© Vedran Vukoja – 123RF.com

The ad focuses on foreigners and how they see us. Most of the time they are gob-smacked by the things we take for granted or deal with daily: 16-seater "mini" bus taxis; load shedding; beautiful gardens with high walls; car guards; signs warning about hippos crossing the road; bakkies...

In all cases, the foreigners are shown in drab settings - and snow is the main motif here - which further subtly emphasises that we are blessed, at least weather-wise.

As we see the foreigners' snapshots of us, there is the between-the-lines message: South Africa is a place where the unexpected can happen - colliding with a car, or a taxi, your car being stolen (car guards or not), or your house being burgled.

In all cases, you'll be sorry if you don't have insurance.

Then comes the punch line: "A one-of-a-kind country needs one-of-a-kind insurance."

The ad could have backfired and the fact it didn't (not with me, anyway) is that often in South Africa we forget that all things do eventually pass.

So too, did the pessimism after the State of the Nation address. When it did, some of our sense of humour returned.

This is also a uniquely South African ad: you couldn't do this anywhere else in the world. And it perfectly makes Santam's marketing point about having a unique insurance provider.

So, an Orchid to Santam and its agency, King James. View the ad embedded below:

I'll watch any form of motorised transport (well almost - Formula One and motorcyle races do sometimes bore me to tears) - and, like most petrolheads, it is the vehicles that draw my attention.

That should be enough for anyone producing any content related to vehicles.

There should be no need for frippery or, worse, titillation.

That lesson seems to have been lost on Ignition TV, which seems determined to drag all car fans back into the sexist 1960s.

They already have a "Hot Wash Honeys" feature, which I have previously panned because it is such sexist drivel - and gets in the way of seeing the cars themselves.

But it has surfaced again - this time in the regular coverage of historic car racing.

The most recent programme, on historic races held at Zwartkops outside Pretoria, featured two pretty "pitlane girls" shoved into the camera shot at post-race interviews.

With suitably low necklines, presumably the eye candy was there because the interviews themselves were deemed too boring.

There was a sponsor's logo on their "uniforms" - but whoever decided this was a clever idea didn't pay attention to the fact that both girls had long hair and that it obscured that logo. I think it was the logo for Hankook Tyres, but I cannot be sure.

There were some winners who looked distinctly uncomfortable with the pointless parade of pulchritude - as well they should, because the girls were young enough to be their daughters.

Again: to the producers of the programme - would you like your daughter to be doing this and objectifying herself as a sex object?

I am no prude, but the reality is that this sort of thing has no place in the 21st century and the reality is that we hardcore petrolheads are more interested in twin carbs than twin peaks.

So, for being sexist, an Onion to Ignition and whoever produced that programme.

And another marketing Onion, for an epic failure in getting across the sponsor's logo.

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