NetFlorist's MD, Ryan Bacher explains, "#haroldsnews is the result of a brief we put in to our marketing partner, Draftfcb Johannesburg. The agency's solution was to continue to use Harold, who has featured in the brand's radio advertising before and give him a more socially-relevant voice by taking him to Facebook and Twitter.
"The creative team of chief executive creative officer Brett Morris, creative director James Cloete, copywriters Candice Hellens, Este De Beer and Lee Goodall and art directors Moira-Gene Sephton and Murray Sparg, created his social media presence ... and are responsible for crafting his news posts - with a twist.
"Everything Harold tweets or posts is done so in the witty - and sometimes below-the-belt - tone the public has come to expect from the character. You can just imagine what he has to say about the Gupta wedding, the meat scandal, Reese Witherspoon's arrest and Gareth Cliff's schoolboy crush. It is great fun."
The campaign started in early April and will run indefinitely. The radio element, which includes a news show hosted by Harold during which he discusses some of the topics he is commenting on in social media, is being flighted mainly on 94.7 Highveld Stereo.
"As far as we are aware, no other floral brand has created a character and placed them in a social networking realm," said Morris. "The content of the tweets and posts is also unique: although products may be mentioned every now and then, they largely deal with newsworthy stories in Harold's irreverent style.
"Humour is the key, and we expect many consumers to subscribe to #haroldsnews in a bid to add some spice and alternative thinking to their day."
