Hollard Changemaker - Creativity and a little good makes a big change

“ChangeMaker inspires all of us to play a bigger role in becoming the positive change catalysts in our communities. It’s the way to create a better future for all South Africans, together,” says Ana Rocha, executive creative director at VMLY&R.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, research has shown that social responsibility is now three times more important to corporate reputations than it was a decade ago. Consumers have become more demanding, not only in terms of service delivery but in terms of purpose. Thulani Dumakude, general manager for Outdoor Network, comments:

“We have seen a marked shift in consumer behaviour. And big brands are stepping up to do more than just sell products. The pandemic appears to have sparked universal empathy among consumers who want the brands they choose to engage with to deliver meaningful, purpose-driven content backed up by decisive action to tackle socio-economic problems.

Corporates are answering the call by taking impact-driven social stands. Hollard’s Changemaker campaign uses the power of Out of the Home (OOH) media to deliver a call to action that ‘dares’ members of the public to make a difference.”

OOH media currently accounts for 13% of advertising revenue in most key African markets, so there is true method and intent in the delivery mechanism they have chosen.”

John Faia, general manager of Street Network at Provantage, adds, “It is our mission to connect brands with people to inspire action. The ChangeMaker campaign needed a platform to connect with consumers in the right context, motivating them to stop and think for a moment through impactful creative execution.”

Having launched the ChangeMaker campaign on various other advertising mediums, Hollard used OOH advertising as an effective media amplifier. It has proved to extend the reach and frequency of the campaign, driving mobile, social and digital engagement better than any other advertising medium because it is data-driven. It finds the right audiences using geo-location and audience measurement. For this campaign, we targeted several high-profile locations.

Joanna Mondon, head: group brand and marketing – Hollard comments, “Hollard has for many years regarded OOH as a particularly impactful medium and so it’s always an important consideration when looking at our media mix for particular campaigns. Because ChangeMaker is about BIG change, and because GIANTS are an integral part of the approach, it makes sense to use large format media.”

The campaign was creatively executed, aiming to tap into South Africans’ strong community spirit and mobilise people to participate and uplift society collectively. The messaging was a simple, clear-cut call to action.

At night, the billboards are illuminated, providing 24-hour visibility. The campaign’s creative impact was extended to strategic locations at bus shelters to attract the eyes of additional motorists and commuters. Striking, bold imagery – often breaking frame from the bust shelters or billboards – firmly highlighted the “making a change” concept.

In the case of the bus shelter installation, for example, a large figure holding a garden spade pops out from behind the shelter, cutting a colourful, pleasantly disruptive figure that demonstrates one possible way consumers could volunteer to help.

A billboard and bus shelters throughout South Africa were appropriated for Hollard’s ChangeMaker campaign to reach an audience on a large scale. Hollard’s marketing agency booked several strategically selected sites across the country, leveraging Outdoor Network’s large format footprint and Street Network’s hyper locations close to high-traffic areas, including Hollard’s head office main entrance.

The following sites were used to drive the campaign:

Street Network (bus shelters) – Four sites in Oxford Street, Parktown
Billboard – Hyde Park Gantry

Marvin Kgasoane, MD at Connect Johannesburg adds, “The sites we chose provided a singular podium to call South Africans from all walks of life to take action against social injustices, while driving brand affinity in a time when social purpose matters more than ever. We commend Hollard for their drive to make a difference and hope to share many success stories resulting from this campaign.”