Ubuntu Bantam beats ‘em all

Created by the agency's Creative Director, Paul Strappini, the commercial centres around an idea that resonates with its audiences, locally and globally.

"Ford Bantam brings humour into race relationships in South Africa and the two men in the advert find a way of exploiting an inherent old prejudice, for their own ends," Strappini explains. "I see the amusing side of serious issues and believe talking and laughing about them helps diffuse them."

The manufacturer's objective was to entrench the vehicle as a South African icon, "The bakkie that helped build the nation". The JWT Johannesburg-created ad meets their objective in global style. Before the commercial was screened on air, it created its own success being propelled around the world as an email attachment, seen, enjoyed, and forwarded by thousands. "It was, and remains, a viral success story," Strappini says.

Modise Makhene, JWT SA's Group CEO affirms, "The Creative Circle Award is testimony to JWT's stated intent of driving our creative product. At JWT we don't pay lip service to creativity, we create great ads!"