Multi-talented Draftfcb team tickles SA's funny bone again

Click here to view the ad [3MB]

Click here to view the ad [3MB]

The ads, which drive awareness of a promotion that will give away R27-million to reward 100 000 Vodacom customers for making calls, sending SMSs or surfing the internet, feature the oh-so-serious Asher and his dancing troupe from the spoof proving that a catchy and clever creative idea can always be extended.

The first commercial opens in a quiet library with students hunched over their textbooks, specifically a girl trying to discreetly make a call. The only sounds are of pages turning, pens scratching on note paper and a few repressed coughs. Suddenly, Asher and his dancers emerge from behind a shelf of books and - as quietly as possible, this is a library after all - dance around her before presenting her with a huge cheque for R1-million.

The second ad is set in a printing factory where the operators wear earmuffs to block out the noise; the sound track of the ad is dampened to mimic the environment. One of the operators is controlling a machine with one hand and SMSing with the other. As in the first ad, Asher and his dancers appear - but we don't hear the sound track because of the mufflers - and begin dancing before handing over the cheque.

In both executions, the cheque is the cue for a cut to promotional titles detailing how much can be won and how. The art direction and style here is bold, bright and fun, just like summer, and is repeated in the print ads and in-store promotional material that will support Vodacom's summer campaign.

Vodacom's Marketing Executive, Enzo Scarcella, said that he was thrilled with the way the agency had extended the original idea into the summer campaign. “Draftfcb has a reputation for building a brand using strong characters, and Asher is no exception. He's so serious, and yet he makes us laugh and enjoy the advertising moment. This, I think, is vital for Vodacom's relationship with its consumers,” he said.

The team that worked on the 30-second ads includes Draftfcb Johannesburg's executive creative director, Grant Jacobsen, as well as creative director, Erin Brooks, art director, Leon Moodley, art director, Archibald Malinga and copywriter, Mohlalifi Lentsoane. Said Jacobson: “I'm so proud of my team. They've embraced the Vodacom brand and the South African consumer with gusto and flair, and their passion and talent shows in their pinpoint characterisation and slightly surreal interpretation. They're taking Vodacom's advertising to another level.”