M&C Saatchi Abel and Takealot.com change South Africans' perceptions around online shopping

This is the premise of Takealot.com’s new campaign, developed by M&C Saatchi Abel and directed by Michael Middleton for Jump Productions. At the heart of the campaign is a 45” TVC which tells the story of Sibusiso, a young man living at home with his parents in Soweto. As the youngest, he has the responsibility of running to and fro for his parents - that is, until he shows them how to the get the things they want, at the touch of a button, on the Takealot.com shopping app.

“A lot of South Africans still haven’t tried online shopping, it’s just not something they do. Our new ad presents Takealot.com as a convenient way to get almost anything you can imagine delivered directly to you,” explains M&C Saatchi Abel’s Gordon Ray. “It’s about normalising online shopping and making it accessible to everyone.”

The TVC is part of a fully integrated campaign that will be supported by Takealot’s other marketing channels leading up to Christmas, including broadsheet inserts in community press, national and regional radio advertising, email newsletters, PPC, social media, YouTube promoted video content and more.

The agency’s creative team, Ntobeko Ximba and Kayli Levitan, say, “One of the reasons the ad is receiving so much love is because it feels real. It has a distinctly authentic look and feel. We didn’t over-style the Soweto location; we simply captured what was already there. A lot of the cast members were first-timers, which adds to the commercial’s warmth and charm.”

Takealot.com’s Chief Marketing Officer, Julie-Anne Walsh, describes the campaign as a watershed moment for the leading online store. “Our objective this year was clear: to present online shopping as a genuine, everyday part of South African life. By increasing our brand awareness and attracting new customers to Takealot.com, we hope to also grow the South African e-Commerce market as a whole.

“When crafting the campaign, it was crucial that we told a local story, presented in a real and relevant way so that it resonates with South Africans. The message is simple: with millions of products; many safe, easy ways to pay and delivery wherever you are, everyone – from any generation – can shop at Takealot.com. We’ve become incredibly proud of Sibusiso, his family and their story, and can’t wait to unveil each episode to South Africa as the festive season unfolds.

“We’ve already convinced South Africa’s early adopters to shop online at Takealot. The challenge now is to grow online shopping further still, so that the brand evolves from the country’s largest online e-tailer, to the country’s largest retailer.” Walsh concludes.

View the TVC here: