Flag keeps flying

Highlights

• Brand South Africa launched "Fly the Flag Fridays" as a way to continue the momentum of "Football Fridays" - check it out here
• Over 240 companies have signed up to Keep Flying and are embracing the initiative in a variety of ways including placing the Keep Flying motif on their advertising - (download it here); internal staff drives.
• Proudly South African has launched a campaign to encourage South Africans to demonstrate their patriotism by buying local wherever possible. Go to www.proudlysa.co.za for more information.
• Many of the top agencies in the country are actively driving KF and the TV production industry has responded by producing TV ads at their own cost to communicate the initiative. To date, 17 separate TV commercials have been produced. Another four are in production
• A song entitled "Keep Flying the Flag" has been recorded by Rob Schroeder at Rob Roy Music and local artists and has already received considerable airplay on the country's major radio stations.
• K'Naan, the hit musician has produced a video utilising a re-mastered version of his hit song "Wavin' the Flag" to thank South African's for hosting the World Cup and endorsing the KF initiative.
• Electronic media owners have not only given the initiative considerable free publicity but also in many cases have committed free airtime to flight ads. To date, the campaign has received over R1.7 million in editorial support, with R5000 000 committed in terms of commercial airtime.
• The Sunday Times/The Times has carried the KF motif on its masthead for the last two weeks. In addition, both The Sowetan urban newspapers, The Mercury and the Daily Dispatch carried the initiative on the front page as well.
• The campaign has received thousands of emails from South Africans letting it know what they are doing and asking how they can be more involved. There are over 1600 facebook friends of the initiative and this number is rising every day. The website (www.keepflying.co.za) has received more than 21 000 hits in a week.

Maintain momentum

• Support "Fly the Flag Fridays" at work, kid's schools and anywhere where you can make a difference
• Encourage all around you to accept personal responsibility for making South Africa a better place. The Nelson Mandela Day 67 minute initiative is core to what it means to fly the flag. We can address the country's challenges problems if we all commit to making a difference, no matter how small.
• Buy South African - job creation and poverty alleviation remain one of our biggest challenges.
• Put the campaign logo on all your communication. It seems like a small gesture, but we need a daily reminder of both how good we felt over the last month and of our responsibility to use this momentum to the greater good.