Launched just a month before kick-off, the ad features various vignettes of ordinary supporters from participating nations around the globe settling down in front of their television sets to witness the kick-off of the 2010 event. While they wait in anticipation, funky music 'Get Get Down' by Paul Johnson picks up the pace and volume to convey their increasing excitement and show their passion for the game. This is interspersed with close-ups highlighting just how much the armchair spectators are distracted- a waitress overfills a cup of coffee, for example; a bread maker endlessly kneads her bread. The ad culminates with numerous scenes of joy as, sparked by one lone game on a South African pitch, the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ gets underway in living rooms, pubs, taverns around the globe.
Created by The Agency's Executive Creative Director, Alan Edgar, and Creative Directors Bruce Anderson and Eugene Botes, the ad was shot and directed by Tony Baggott at Frieze Films over three days in Hillbrow, the Johannesburg CBD, Cyrildene, Leeuwkop and Bryanston.
Said Baggott: "The very interesting thing about this soccer commercial for Telkom is that there is not a soccer ball, a soccer player or a soccer field in sight. Instead, rather cleverly, the creative team from the agency has focused on the supporter to draw the viewer in. For me this was the cornerstone difference that appealed."
Added Edgar: "For Telkom, one of the national supporters of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, it was important that this ad reinforced Telkom's prime business objective - that of connecting people. By focusing on ordinary supporters in many far-flung places in the world and showing how soccer connects them and brings them happiness, I think we achieved this."
"At the same time, we wanted to break through the clutter of other commercials associated with the event to inspire viewers, to encourage them to embrace the spirit of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, to make them appreciate that this 'derby' is real, it's nearly here, and it is much more than we can ever imagine."
"This is a tricky thing to do but I think, thanks largely to Tony, we have been able to do it. While other directors thought the story board a little simple, Tony bought into our vision and understood exactly how challenging it was - to portray passion, compulsion, empathy and excitement without spelling it out for the viewer, but rather relying on the acting and music to reel them in."
"Tony proved to be an excellent choice of director. He worked tirelessly to inspire the actors and actresses to deliver just the right performances, and then assisted us achieve a richness and depth that many ads might have missed."
Telkom's 2010 FIFA World Cup™ is flighting on all major television stations countrywide as well as in select cinemas.
Click here to view the ad. [5MB]
