Telkom gets sassy with students

Christa van Dyk, business unit director at The Agency, says: "The idea was to create top-of-mind awareness of the 10-11-8 directory number, but also to position it outside of the staid consumer perception of directory services only being good for finding plumbers or florists. We wanted to position TDS as the A to Z and everything in between as far as consumer queries are concerned."

'Cheating bastard' scrawled across a yellow Corsa in red lipstick complete with young male student driver paints a vivid picture. The answer? For a divorce attorney call 10-11-8.

The bird dropping bespattered vehicle that looks like a flock of seagulls used it as a roosting spot denotes a carport query. Move on to the scratched, dented and bashed vehicle - all achieved with the use of graphics of course and complete with 'woman driver'- which indicates driving lessons.

Added to the student car campaign is a series of postcards distributed through coffee shops, clubs and delis: 'I have put some of our home movies on the net. Which is your favourite - naughty nurse, maiden in leather, on her knees not to pray, dirty police woman?' The solution? Get a lawyer fast at 10-11-8 or gain a deeply personal understanding of Paris Hilton's escapades.

"The campaign utilises mediums that are unusual and stand out from the advertising humdrum. Humour is a great way to grab attention and entrench awareness. And with the amount of commuting South Africans do it's going to be hard to miss out on this message," concludes Van Dyk.