What happens to an advertising billboard once its campaign has come to an end? For Go Big Media, the answer is increasingly simple: give it a second life.
As an outdoor advertising company, Go Big Media works with billboard banners every day. Rather than allowing old banners to remain unused in storage or reach the end of their useful life, the company has found a way to transform them into something practical, durable and meaningful: school bags and pencil cases for children in need.
The initiative forms part of Go Big Media's broader commitment to sustainability and its belief that waste can become an opportunity when businesses look at materials differently.
Old billboard banners, which have already served their purpose as advertising platforms, are repurposed into school bags and pencil cases. The material is particularly suited to this purpose because it is strong, waterproof and durable, allowing the bags to be used long after they are handed over.
The result is a simple but powerful journey: Billboard banner → repurposed material → school bag → opportunity.
In July 2026, Go Big Media brought this initiative to life by donating 300 sustainable school bags and 300 pencil cases to 300 children across communities in Mahikeng, Potchefstroom and Kimberley.
In Mahikeng, the team visited Reitsositse Primary School. In Potchefstroom, donations were made to Fikadibeng Primary School, Loula Fourie Primary School and Padi Primary School, where the main handover took place. The team also visited Kimberley.
The handovers formed part of Go Big Media's annual Mandela Day activities, but the initiative represents something much bigger than a single day's act of giving. It demonstrates how a business can take something from its own industry that might otherwise have limited use and transform it into something that provides real value to someone else.
For the Go Big Media team, the impact was particularly visible in the reactions of the children. The smiles, excitement and interaction with the team made the initiative a deeply meaningful experience for those involved. Employees described leaving the handovers feeling heart-warmed, with a renewed understanding of how something that may seem small from a business perspective can mean a great deal to a child.
For us, sustainability isn't just about reducing waste. It's about giving what we already have a second life and turning it into something that can create a positive impact.
The initiative also reflects Go Big Media's belief that giving back should be about more than simply making a contribution. It should be about finding practical ways to create something that lasts and genuinely benefits the people receiving it.
The company's clients have also embraced the concept, responding positively to the idea that their former billboard campaigns can continue to make an impact in an entirely different way.
For Go Big Media, the initiative has changed the way the company looks at materials that have reached the end of their original purpose. A billboard banner is no longer simply an advertising material that has completed a campaign. It can become a school bag. A school bag can become something a child carries every day. And something as simple as that can create a sense of pride, opportunity and belonging.
The company hopes its approach will encourage other businesses to consider what they currently regard as waste and ask a different question:
'What else could this become?'
Go Big Media believes businesses have an opportunity to find creative ways to contribute to their communities, not simply for recognition, but because meaningful action can make a genuine difference.
Our hearts are warmer knowing that 300 children now have a sustainable school bag and pencil case that they can use. For us, that is what giving back is about: taking something that has already served its purpose and turning it into an opportunity for someone else.
The initiative is a reminder that sustainability and community upliftment do not have to exist separately. With a little creativity, the two can work together to create an impact that is both practical and lasting.
