Brandbar takes a ‘Fresh' approach

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Brandbar is a Centurion-based, full-service advertising agency, boasting in-house production facilities. Since opening its doors in April 2008, the company has managed to secure myriad high profile clients, and has already made waves with some noteworthy campaigns.

This time around it all started when Brandbar approached DJ Fresh, South African radio personality, to be the face of the ‘Fresh Combo' promotion offered by King Pie.

Brandbar embarked on a one-month long television campaign, and further extended the campaign's reach with radio advertisements and an on-air competition, run during Fresh's afternoon drive show.

What many people may not have anticipated was just how far this campaign would grow, and the exposure it would receive. Within weeks it would transform into so much more than a brand awareness and promotional campaign. DJ Fresh and the King Pie Fresh Combo took on a life of its own and turned the promotion into a highly effective viral campaign.

Generating witty banter between other radio DJ's, and inciting actual interaction with the radio advertisements from the likes of Gareth Cliff, the campaign started generating a tremendous fan base. Before long, DJ Fresh fans were submitting photographs of themselves purchasing the Fresh Combo and posing next to promotional in-store posters. This was followed by comic illustrations and before long, the television advertisement was placed on Facebook, spawning a computer game in which Fresh appears as a pie-eating ‘Pacman'-type character.

When asked why Brandbar selected DJ Fresh for the campaign, Creative Director, Marlin Chetty responded: “DJ Fresh's name, personality and popularity was too hard to resist. The synergy with the King Pie brand and target audience is perfect. DJ Fresh himself embraced the attention he got with professionalism and a great sense of humour.”

Concurrently, he comments that King Pie has also received significant feedback from the campaign.

At the end of the day, the proof of the pudding (or pie in this case) is in the eating, and the South Africa audience has devoured this campaign. To this end, Brandbar has proven its strength in the industry, as an intuitive, and exciting new addition to a hotly contested market.

Watch this space, because there are plenty more exciting upcoming television campaigns in the pipeline for Brandbar, sure to prove that age isn't everything in the business, and even the new kid on the block can make its mark.