Cool or clucking silly? New TVC, viral ads hit the airwaves

The video, taking a new view of Bokke tackles and a spoof on the antelope hits cyclist viral video, has accumulated over 13 200 views on the Jacaranda 94.2 website, placing it at the number two spot for most viewed videos and the number one spot for most viewed entertainment videos in South Africa during the past week.

What the...

Following the provocative 'What the Frikkadel' campaign, the new 'What the Cluck' campaign from Debonairs Pizza's allvertising agency Morrisjones, will probably ruffle more feathers in the marketplace. This time people are still asking, "what the...?" but the assumed expletive is replaced by the "clucks" of real chickens. The ad will also make appearances on billboards and YouTube.

Cindy Lee, of Fresheye Films, directed the original WTF commercial and has returned to direct this sequel, which features the same people from WTF, including the gogo and granddaughter. The agency's creative team included Angel Jones (ECD), Margarita Karvouniaris (CD), and Michelle Kreuiter (copywriter).

'Do do do' returns for summer hit

The new 8ta TV campaign uses local band, Fire Through The Window's hit 'Do do do', which will run throughout summer, promising to become the soundtrack for the season. The band has also had international success with this track as a background to an Almay commercial.

Nigel Laver at Laswho (www.laswho.com), one of South Africa's successful music supervision companies, placed the track with both clients.

Avoid the jungle of Christmas shopping

Based on the phrase 'It's a jungle out there', the first bidorbuy TVC debuts this weekend. "The client came to us with a very clear brief," says Francois Boshoff, creative director at Volcano Advertising, the agency that conceptualised the advertisement.

"They wanted a television commercial that would stand out from the clutter and make people talk. They also wanted to communicate a strong message that, as one of the country's largest online marketplaces for both new and second-hand goods, it provides the ideal solution for the shopping mall weary when it comes to buying Christmas gifts."

The bidorbuy commercial follows a young couple as they navigate their way through a busy shopping centre, having one unpleasant experience after another. However, instead of being filled with crowds of people, the mall is teeming with herds of animals.

"Our concept for the advertisement was 'it's a jungle out there', turning a literal association into reality," explains Boshoff. "Seeing as the Christmas shopping experience seems to bring out our most primitive natures, we thought it would be apt to use animals to personify human stereotypes. For example, the commercial shows hyenas fighting over a handbag as if it were a kill, a monkey that is irritable, bad-tempered and a general nuisance and a gorilla that has a very lackadaisical attitude to customer service to say the least."

Although the concept was simple, the execution presented many challenges. It required a mix of disciplines, from live footage to green screen shots, from puppets to animatronics and animation. The key was collaboration with a team of talented individuals.

The result is a testament to not only the power of teamwork, but also to what can be achieved if you believe in an idea.

TTL agency:

• Volcano Advertising
  
• Francois Boshoff (creative director)
  
• Charlene Ihmig (art director)
  
• Jayde O'Brien (copywriter)
  
• Jane Carlisle (client service)
  
• Michelle Lyne (production manager)

Production House:

• Egg Films Johannesburg
  
• Slim (director)
  
• Nicci Cox (executive producer)
• Devi Lazanas (production manager)

Post Production:

• Sinister Studio - Christian van der Walt

Animatronics:

• CFX Production