Vodacom asks FCB Johannesburg to 'Gimme Summa'

The campaign - which comprises above-the-line brand advertising as well as sponsorships, eventing and retail advertising - is named 'Gimme Summa' and was developed by a crack creative team from traditional full service agency FCB Johannesburg in conjunction with those from the group's specialised communication companies.

'Yebo Summer', Vodacom's longstanding beach festival, has not been discarded in favour of 'Gimme Summa'. Instead, it has been retained within the enlarged 'Gimme Summa' campaign along with 'Yebo', a uniquely Vodacom phrase, which has been incorporated into all elements.

'Gimme Summa' follows hot on the heels of several months of 'sock-it-to-'em' launch activities from Vodacom such as Affordable Starter Packs and Specific Needs. This pioneering initiative included the local launch of a 'speaking phone' which enables sight-impaired people to access voice and text services via text-to-speech technology; making company information available in audio format via 'Tape Aids for the Blind'; and establishing a call centre equipped with staff and technology to communicate more easily with people with disabilities.

Key players on the creative front for 'Gimme Summa' were FCB Johannesburg Executive Creative Director Brett Morris and Creative Directors Gerhard Myburgh and Eliot Powell, with valuable lyrical input from Molefi Thulo and Mimi Cooper; songwriter Joe Arthur; and Hylton Tannenbaum of Peter Gird Productions.

The prime target audience for 'Gimme Summa' comprises working adults in their mid-20s from LSM 5-8. According to Morris, the critical consideration for the strategic team responsible for devising the programme of activities, as well as the creatives working on the communication, was the appreciation that summer means different things to different South Africans. This meant avoiding transposing 'moneyed' definitions of what's cool and fun about summer into the townships.

Quoting from the creative rationale developed by Myburgh and Powell, Morris said the primary target market of twenty-somethings have their own ideas on what constitutes summer fun in addition to their own look, their own culture and, importantly, their own language. This is unique, bold, and confident - and it's distinctly South African.

Myburgh conceded the strategic/creative team's first instinct was to simply make 'Yebo Summer' bigger than ever. On reflection, however, it was felt that something spectacular and unique was called for.

'Vodacom is always a leader - never "me too", Powell added. 'We chose therefore to start from scratch and developed "Gimme Summa", which is new, bold, gritty and unapologetic - like our target market. They want the biggest, the best, the most. It's a "Gimme" world. And it's summer. So, we've given them "Gimme Summa".'

First element of the campaign out the starting gate is a 60 second television commercial introducing the fact that Vodacom keeps South Africans entertained, engaged and surprised, from the moment that the days get longer until the Festive Season is in full swing.

The commercial opens on a young, cool looking guy with a vacant look on his face. His cell phone rings and he answers 'Hola?'. The voice on the other end answers back 'Gimme Summa'. This begins a ritual repartee 'Gimme Summa what?' ... 'Gimme Summa' which ends when the young man heads for the door. He meets a pretty neighbour on the stairs and mouths 'Gimme Summa' to her and the message starts to spread faster and faster. She sends an SMS to her friend, who passes it onto someone else and so on. Day turns to night and everyone turns up at a house party, where the dancing is taking place in an empty swimming pool. Everyone is really enjoying themselves and, if you watch closely, you'll catch a glimpse of some pretty famous party guests. In the distance is the Ponte building, with its Vodacom livery, which the camera zooms into and turns into a computer generated end logo. Then the camera cuts back to the apartment at the beginning of the ad. The cool looking guy is there, a little rumpled, wearing the clothes he was in at the party. His cell phone rings, he answers 'Hola?' gets up and heads out of the door with renewed energy.

'Our challenge with "Gimme Summa" is to show Vodacom as it is - leading the way in network and service superiority, consistently first-to-market with new products, proudly South African, and with a big sense of humour and an even bigger heart,' said Morris.

'Because of this, our customers reward us by staying pretty loyal. That says a great deal given that nearly 90% of users are free to come go as they please because they utilize pay-as-you-go options.

'Vodacom's thank-you to these customers is a season of high impact, relevant and fun initiatives held together by the "Gimme Summa' golden thread and kept fresh via regular change. This means we've up weighted the importance of mass-market appeal and relevant activity while maintaining our presence on the beaches through "Yebo Summer".

'In short, the team's job is to deliver an awesome, "true blue" Vodacom Summer,' he said.

Other elements in the 'Gimme Summa' campaign will launch in October and November. These include an integrated above the line campaign including radio, print and television. The theme will also be carried into retail environments and communication. We are also using this as the theme for all the sponsorship activities over the period like Vodacom Springbreak, Pirates Derby and all the Yebo Summer events.