Ogilvy and Cadbury celebrate triple gold at Marketing Achievement Awards

In South Africa, only 2% of books are published in our local African languages – yet 80% of the population speaks a language other than English or Afrikaans. To tackle this injustice and inspire a love for reading amongst children across the country, Ogilvy and Cadbury’s parent company Mondelez partnered to launch the 'In your own words' initiative.

The initiative called on South Africans to translate just one word to help Cadbury Dairy Milk co-author a library of enchanting children’s stories. To date, more than 20,000 words have been translated and turned into 450 enchanting new stories.

“As a brand with generosity at its core, Cadbury is demonstrating how tapping into a true societal issue can make a real difference in the communities we serve,” says Lara Sidersky, senior category lead chocolate at Mondelez. “This work shows what true, purpose-led marketing looks like, and we are beyond proud that it has been recognised.”

Neo Makhele, Ogilvy SA chief strategy officer says: “The Cadbury brand has in its DNA the promise of a glass and a half, that is unbound generosity. It is this brand purpose that inspired the brand to tackle literacy by inspiring generosity among South African to nurture and promote own language literacy.”

The agency scooped up the Excellence in Purpose-led Marketing, Excellence in South African Resonance Marketing and Excellence in Integrated Marketing awards for its work with Mondelez to inspire a love for reading amongst children across the country.

“Cadbury aims to bring people closer together, we are founded in the spirit of generosity and pioneering social impact. This work forms part of a journey that calls on all South Africans to help tackle the pertinent social tension of illiteracy and help re-write the narratives of our people, in our own words, one word at a time. We are delighted by the recognition the work has received,” says Langa Khanyile, marketing lead, RoA at Mondelez.

See the work here...
A tale of true generosity

“We believe that the time for storytelling has passed. It’s time for story-doing,” says Pete Case, Ogilvy SA CEO and creative chairman. “So, it’s hugely rewarding to see our work make such an impact for our client. Thanks to the MAA judging panel for recognising the strength of this work.”

For more information, contact Awande Dlamini az.oc.yvligo@inimald.ednawa.