Pendoring campaigns for heroes

“Previous campaigns have mostly tried to sell the uniqueness of the Afrikaans language. A new touch was necessary. The popularity of heroes is currently very relevant in the Afrikaans milieu. Like the De la Rey syndrome,” says Leon Jacobs, creative head of the Pendoring campaign of Saatchi & Saatchi.

“The Pendoring campaign illustrates how Afrikaans people in their own unique way raise South African advertising people to heroes,” continues Jacobs.

For this purpose, Saatchi & Saatchi has selected creative people that are well-known in the advertising industry, but not necessarily outside advertising, and specifically the Afrikaans community. These names include Mike Schalit, Julian Watt, Ross Chowels, Lapeace Kakaza, Vanessa Pearson and Alistair King. The message is that someone who receives a Pendoring award can become his/her hero in the Afrikaans community.

Redesign

“Much hard work and planning have gone into this year's campaign. We wanted to redesign it – like the rest of Pendoring – to take this project to a new level in its 13th year of existence. And the campaign is working! With a catch-phrase like: Speak Afrikaans, talk to the people, it is obvious,” claimns Lucille van Niekerk, chairman of the Pendoring working committee.

One of the advertisements in this year's campaign is a photograph of a typical Afrikaans living room. Above the fireplace hangs a tapestry of a proud Voortrekker general on his horse. When you look closer, it is none other than Wingwing Mdlulwa, who has his own agency – Twist Advertising. Among others, he is chairman of the Loerie Committee. The text is simple and reads: “Become an Afrikaans hero.”

There is also a photograph of a rugby-mad teenage boy's bedroom. Against the wall is a poster of a girl leaning against a Mercedes. Advertising people will recognise her as Vanessa Pearson, executive creative head of Lobedo Leo Burnett, the agency that was responsible for among others Mercedes Benz's advertising.

To obtain a true Afrikaans character in the campaign, the talents of photographer Stan Engelbrecht was called in. He is not usually a commercial photographer and is best known for his coffee-table book African Salad. With his unique stamp on the campaign, a fresh unsophisticated result has been obtained, according to Saatchi & Saatchi.

Same principle

The radio campaign uses the same principle. A class of nine year-olds sings their Afrikaans school song in high-sounding formal Afrikaans. It appears as if these children do not even understand what they are singing, because alma mater becomes almal maters. But they surrender themselves to the music; proud to be learning at a school like Laerskool Lapeace Kakaza. Needless to say, the latter is a creative head at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris in Johannesburg.

The printed media and radio campaign is complimented by the Pendoring website that was designed by Saatchi & Saatchi's interactive department AtPlay. This website consists of two sites this year that are linked so that one can move easily from one to the other.

The first address is www.pendoring.co.za, where all the competition rules, entry information and news flashes can be obtained. On this site, the public will also be able to vote for their favourite Afrikaans advertisement. A substantial cash prize and tickets to the gala event on 7 September 2007 at Vodaworld in Midrand are also at stake. The advertisement with the most votes will be announced at the Pendoring gala evening and will receive a new prize – The People's Choice Award.

There is also www.afrikaansehelde.com, an interactive website where the public can read more about the advertising people that appear in the Pendoring campaign. Below each printed media advertisement a web address appears that will lead you to the Afrikaans Heroes website, where a photograph and brief biography of the specific advertising person can be found. In this way, the Pendoring campaign provides the man in the street with a peep into the lives of the people behind the advertisements that they run across each day in the media.

On www.afrikaansehelde.com, agencies are invited to award their own creative people in a true South African manner and to design sharp-witted Afrikaans T-shirts for their advertising heroes. The winning design will be printed and distributed to the guests at the gala event in September.

Entries for Pendoring opened on 15 May and the closing date is 15 July.

Penwortel sponsors are ATKV, First National Bank, Media24, Rapport, Sanlam, Toyota and Vodacom. Founding partners are ATKV, Caxton, Copy Writers' Forum, De Kat, kykNET, Media24, RSG and Rapport. Other partners are 24.com, De Kat, Die Burger, Interactive Market Systems, Intiem, Klipdrift, kulula.com, kykNET, Newsclip, RSG and Swartland Wines.