The campaign seeks to offer a solution to the 'drink and drive' culture in South Africa by persuading consumers to use Toot-n-Scoot over driving under the influence. While it is certainly an old problem, the creative tackles it in a very new way.
"The brand is about fun, not doom. Toot-n-Scoot allows you to have as much fun as you want and get home safely. So we had to find an interesting, new way to connect with the market," explains Steele.
"And true to Toot-n-Scoot's brand personality, this idea is not a fear-laden scare tactic from some social ombudsman, but rather a good argument from a friend. Although the communication is light-hearted, it's incredibly memorable and persuasive."
With the assistance of a make-up artist, 'normal-looking' Toot-n-Scoot brand ambassadors were transformed into incredibly 'ugly-looking' people. These people then hit Manhattan nightclub in Johannesburg, armed with nothing more than the T-shirts they were wearing and Toot-n-Scoot business cards.
The T-shirts carried messages like "When I start looking like an über babe to you, it's time to call Toot-n-Scoot" and "When I start looking yummy to you, it's time to call Toot-n-Scoot."
"We're very excited about the impact this campaign has had on our business", says Wayne Kalis, operations manager of Toot-n-Scoot. "This kind of marketing is exactly the word-of-mouth communication we need to increase brand awareness."
The campaign was launched in November 2006 in Gauteng and is expected to go national over the festive season. It is the first creative work by TEQUILA\ on the Toot-n-Scoot brand and the brainchild of creative team Matthew Barnes (executive creative director), Hagan de Villiers (creative director and copywriter) and Gary Steele (creative director and art director).
