Agency and rock band set on breaking 'deadly silence'

“Just Jinjer are known for their incredible live act, fans of the band simply can't afford to miss out on this once in a lifetime unplugged performance,” comments Pepe Marais, Executive Creative Director of Joe Public and organiser of the Rock4Aids benefit concert.

The intimate setting and 500 available seats at the beautifully re-vamped Alexander Theatre in Braamfontein lend itself perfectly to an unplugged session. Other artists who have volunteered their time include local favourite Harris Tweed who will open for the band and Marc Lottering who will be MC for the evening.

Giving back has always been a part of the Joe Public philosophy - all proceeds go towards HIV/Aids specific education as well as the supporting of child-headed households. With this aim in mind, next year will see the start of an Aids education pilot project run at a selected high school in Soweto. “Apathy and silence are fuelling the spread of the virus,” Marais goes on to say. “Only by providing open education on the subject of HIV/Aids, can we hope to reverse the situation.”

In order to catch the attention of local and international musicians, Joe Public designed a compelling campaign centred on direct mailer invitations featuring a guitar with its strings removed. The “Silent Guitar” was packaged in coffin-shaped guitar boxes accompanied by the message “The Silence Is Killing us”, before being hand-delivered to various artists.

Earlier this year, the campaign was awarded a prestigious Gold and Silver Loerie in the Copy Craft for Design and Direct Mail categories respectfully. More importantly, it got the desired effect when Just Jinjer and Harris Tweed decided to join the agency in their efforts. “We are delighted that a world-class act like Just Jinjer answered the call,” says Bronwyn James, Joe Public's Project Manager for the event. “We'd also like to thank corporate sponsor Toyota Auris for their support.”

Tickets for this exclusive event are R250 and R300 each and are available at Computicket – book now as seating is limited.