Of mice and ad agencies...

TBWA \ Hunt \ Lascaris has become the first South African advertising agency to be accepted into the Clio Hall of Fame, with their classic "Mouse" advert for the BMW 318i.

The Hall of Fame, based in Miami in the United States, recognises the world's most memorable advertising. The "Mouse" commercial demonstrated the effectiveness of power steering, by showing a tiny white mouse turning the wheel.

In addition to entering the Hall of Fame, TBWA \ Hunt \ Lascaris also won five Clios at this year's awards. These include a bronze in the original music category for the "PF Jones" advert for SABC 1, featuring a day in the life of a typical teenage boy living in Soweto, with the twist that the boy is white.

"Even before winning the Clio we knew this soundtrack was a success. Within a week of the ad's release, the song ("Kleva" by Kwaito star, Mapuputsi) shot into the top 10 on the charts at Yfm," says Sandra de Witt, Executive Creative Director of TBWA \ Hunt \ Lascaris.

TBWA \ Hunt \ Lascaris also won a bronze Clio in the recreational items category for their radio campaign for SABC 2 Saturday Night, another bronze in the original music category for Tiger Brands' Purity Baby and a bronze in the print category for the PlayStation 2 ad they had created for their sister agency, TBWA \ Accla!m in Cyprus. The agency also won a silver Clio for their dot com advertising for LeftHander.com.

Editorial contact

Magna Carta on behalf of TBWA \ Hunt \ Lascaris