Adidas x Thebe Magugu Finding Beauty through wall murals

South African luxury designer Thebe Magugu has collaborated with the famous global brand Adidas for a sportwear, and lifestyle line made from recycled materials. The debut collection is titled Finding Beauty. Thebe draws inspirations from nostalgic elements of his life - he also draws inspiration from the women in his life including his mother and aunt who are included in the campaign. Owakhe Media is bringing the Adidas X Thebe Magugu collaboration to townships through its innovative and striking wall murals and in finding the beauty therein.

Owakhe Media is a well-known out-of-home advertising company that specialises in outdoor advertising including wall murals. Wall murals are directly linked to the township space and, because of its popularity, is growing beyond the township and extending into the urban space. Townships are increasingly becoming a captive market which is boosted by the fact that almost half of South Africa’s urban population lives in Townships and informal settlements with the number rising to above 60% in areas such as Cape Town. Wall murals remain the jewel of outdoor advertising in the townships because of the exposure they bring and the location which, is usually along main roads and freeways, hots spots and places of interest. Another advantage of wall murals is that they also have the ability to adapt to various markets, without having to adapt to a certain LSM.

Since its incorporation in 2012, Owakhe Media’s approach to wall murals has expanded with the introduction of interactive wall murals which are Wi-Fi embedded. Owakhe Media’s Wi-Fi embedded wall murals further engage brand interaction with potential consumers. What these interactive wall murals do with the help of digital tools, is offer an easier way to gain in-depth understanding of how the demographics of these areas are spread, where how and why they choose to spend their money. The data becomes helpful to brands because it helps them personalise their marketing and tailor them for specific demographics.

The innovation around wall murals have been ground-breaking especially for the township space; this has assisted in convincing brands and other stakeholders that townships have a space in the digital community which, forms part of larger global community. We usher another era of wall murals one that is more engaging and interactive. Our recent wall murals include a 3D element which we have incorporated in the wall murals for the Adidas x Thebe Magugu collaboration for the sports and lifestyle range. The wall mural is covered in purple featuring a neon 3D artwork that lights up in the night-time, which immediately garners the attention of the consumers. This is impressive on Adidas’s part because the collaborator themselves are from a township and to advertise the collaboration on a medium that speaks mostly to a township market is rather remarkable and inspirational. The site is in one of the most famous streets in Soweto, Vilikazi Street in Orlando. The street is known for the history it encompasses which is very on brand for Thebe Magugu whose works is also known to comment on culture, history and politics.