Stripey ready for school

2 Oct 2009

Aquafresh announced that Kayla Lemkus was the winner out of 12,000 entries received to ‘Name the Nurdle' competition running throughout this year. Her name ‘Stripey', for the recently created Aquafresh character, will enable the brand to use this colourful messenger in pre-schools throughout Gauteng.

(L-R) Lucas Radebe (Aquafresh brand ambassador); Aquafresh Stripey; with winner Kayla and her parents Julie and Dan Lemkus.

“He'll be the central character in a carefully targeted edutainment campaign that will dramatise the brand's '2 x 2' message, brush with Aquafresh twice a day for two minutes for stronger teeth, and teach children about oral healthcare while they're having fun,” explains Aquafresh group product manager, Michele Cloete.

One of the most important things about Stripey is that a six-year old child, part of the age group that Aquafresh is targeting through this colourful figure, named him. Kayla, in Grade 1, received R2000 and her school, Bryanston Parallel in Gauteng, received R2500 from the Aquafresh ambassador and soccer icon Lucas Radebe.

Jason Levine, MD of Hdi Youth Marketeers added, “The character, which is specifically developed to resonate with kids aged 3-8, and the brand promise is pulled through all materials, including posters and activity sheets ensuring consistency of feel and message.”

The 20-minute shows for little ones are both short and interactive. They combine Stripey with music, song and dance, in order to personalise the young audience's experience of the brand and keep it top of mind.

Stripey is also part of a far bigger educational picture. “The most important aspect of Stripey's edutainment programme is that it's a valuable part of the Pick 'n Pay School Club. The Club was created by the company and Hdi Youth Marketeers in 2003 to provide much-needed teaching material for teachers and schools,” said Cloete.

This is the second year that Aquafresh has been a brand partner in creating teacher guides, learner worksheets, posters, competition entry kits, year planners and nutritional guideline booklets for over 50,000 educators and 1.4 million learners in over 1,840 South African schools. The Pick 'n Pay School Club is the largest independent educational material provider in South Africa and, during independent research in 2008, was rated by teachers as the best educational support available to schools.

Cloete said Aquafresh valued this important opportunity to enrich the teaching experience for teachers and learners alike.