Hammersmith achieve acclaim on international MTN ad

Click here to view the ad [4MB]

The commercial aimed to show and/or trigger the entire continent's support for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. One guy's idea of wearing a soccer jersey to work spreads like wildfire and soon the whole continent is draped in their favourite teams' colours.

The idea provided opportunity for some humorous scenarios and Wild was quick to weave a human touch into an epic corporate ad. Together with DOP Rob Malpage and a fantastic crew, he found the perfect mix.

It did however need a small team submerging themselves in Ghana's capital and its local beer, “to fill in the gaps with some beautiful, down-to-earth visuals”.

“I knew we'd gone a little too far to gain a realistic view of Africa, when I had Johnny Papas (2nd unit DOP) sweating over two million rands' worth of camera, on a boat made out of a single tree, with a sail constructed of what looked like firewood and food aid meal packets, way out to sea. With a bad leak,” claimed Wild.

Jennifer Roberti, GM for Global Brand, said she was proud that an MTN commercial was announcing Africa's readiness and unity just prior to the World Cup. “The response to our new 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign has more than exceeded our expectations. The spirit of African football fans from across the continent was captured heart and soul by the team at Hammersmith & Elephant, with a sensitivity and production values that rival any advertising produced in the world today.”

After receiving this comment from client, Hammersmith & Elephant's Executive Producer Byron Grant became weepy, put down his calculator and claimed “the immense task of producing such a big ad in a short space of time, and the chance to break even on it, was well worth it.”