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How Joe Public taps into the zeitgeist of AI in advertising for Africa
25 Apr 2019
Are you ready for the artificial intelligence revolution in advertising, like Ciclope Africa Festival's agency of the year Joe Public? Here, chief creative officer Xolisa Dyeshana explains the importance of showcasing real South Africans at the forefront of global playing fields, against the backdrop of their grand prix-winning Chicken Licken work, Sbu 2.0.
Xolisa Dyeshana, chief creative officer at Joe Public United.
Joe Public picked up seven awards at this year’s Ciclope Africa Festival for excellence in film craft, including the coveted agency of the year prize.
This was by no means a fluke, with Joe Public and Chicken Licken already shining in the most recent Loeries Rankings – Joe Public topped the SA agency ranking table as well as the table for large agencies with 85+ employees, with Dyeshana himself in second spot on the chief creative officer (CCO) table – with only fellow Joe Pepe Marais above him, while Chicken Licken slid into second spot in the brand ranking table.
Their work on Ciclope Africa’s Grand Prix-winning Sbu 2.0 has also picked up a slew of awards elsewhere:
| Chicken Licken Hotwings | Joe Public United | Sbu 2.0 | Craft Bronze | Film | Cannes Lion |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings | Joe Public United | Sbu 2.0 | 2nd Place | Film | The Creative Circle |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings | Joe Public United | Sbu 2.0 | Silver | TV & Cinema Commercials - above 90s | Loeries |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings | Joe Public | Sbu 2.0 | Craft Certificate | Film Crafts - Best Use of Licensed Music | Loeries |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings | Joe Public & Romance Films | Sbu 2.0 | Craft Gold | Film Crafts - Direction | Loeries |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings | Joe Public & Romance Films | Sbu 2.0 | Craft Gold | Film Crafts - Production Design | Loeries |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings | Joe Public, Bladeworks & Chocolate Tribe | Sbu 2.0 | Craft Gold | Film Crafts - Animation | Loeries |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings | Joe Public & Romance Films | Sbu 2.0 | Craft Gold | Film Crafts - Performance | Loeries |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings | Joe Public & Produce Sound | Sbu 2.0 | Craft Certificate | Film Crafts - Original Music & Sound Design | Loeries |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings | Joe Public Connect | Sbu 2.0 | Bronze | Social Media (Social Media Platforms) | Assegai |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings | Joe Public Connect | Sbu 2.0 | Gold | Art Direction | Assegai |
Clearly this is a winning team and extremely tasty creative tech idea.
Here, Dyeshana explains the importance of celebrating excellence in film craft as well as of highlighting the team behind the scenes in terms of costume design, editing and visual effects beyond the camera and actor, in the work everyone gets to know…
Explain Sbu 2.0, which won the Ciclope Grand Prix, and how it works as both a film for pure entertainment and in driving brand awareness.
We live in a world heading for an artificial intelligence revolution. In recent times, we have seen everything from a robot being interviewed on live television to a robot being granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia.
When it comes to AI though, South Africa has never really been viewed as being at the forefront. Therefore, tapping into the zeitgeist of AI, the agency worked with director Greg Gray from Romance Films to create a quirky yet cerebral comedy about a science teacher who invents a robotic version of himself to fill in whenever the craving strikes as the basis of the S’bu 2.0 film.
In terms of brand awareness for client Chicken Licken – such a proudly South African client, the agency always tries to create ideas that are relevant.
We try to showcase real South Africans at the forefront of global playing fields in an entertaining and humorous way.
Whether it involves sending a South African to space, a South African archaeologist exploring an ancient Egyptian tomb or like now, a South African science teacher that has built a real-life, functioning, robotic replica of himself, we’re always trying to create a sense of pride and patriotism through the commercial films.
You’ve certainly succeeded, having won seven awards in total at the recent Ciclope Africa Festival, including the title ‘agency of the year’. Explain what your clear excellence in film craft means to the agency and how you’ll drive this forward. 
Being an advertising agency honoured amongst some of the top calibre film houses is an outstanding achievement – and for Joe Public United, it’s the product of continuous dedication to achieving perfection in their television film craft offering.
In recent years this has been an area of focus for the agency, with emphasis on the importance of emotive storytelling.
Ciclope differs from the usual awards as it celebrates craft in advertising and film in particular. Why is it important to celebrate the team behind the scenes of the work everyone gets to know?
Having won across such varied categories – from costume design to editing to visual effects to direction – tells us we’re starting to achieve excellence across all aspects of our film craft, and we plan to become even better as we grow more and more within our talents.
The importance of these accolades is indicative of the different component parts within a film. It’s not just a camera and an actor. Every single detail that goes into making a mesmerising piece of film needs is thought of and those that make it happen and bring it to life are important too.
Share the importance of emotive storytelling in African film craft, in particular.
Our achievements at the Ciclope Africa Festival as a significant milestone along our film craft journey, as the agency strives to push creative boundaries and produce ever more inspiring, impactful and meaningful stories that uplift and grow our client’s brands and ultimately, the country.
We’ll be ready and waiting to watch that work! Visit Joe Public’s press office and follow their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds for the latest updates.
About Leigh Andrews
Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
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