by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) … It’s onnnn … top! There probably isn’t a South Africa alive who hasn’t heard that slogan — one of South Africa’s best-loved and familiar campaigns. Even if you were born after the ad flighted, you’ve probably seen it on YouTube, or had it repeated by your parents.
It’s been hailed as one of SA’s most iconic ads of all time, along with the Sasol “Glug-glug” ad and the “can-of-the-best” Castrol spots with the two buddies (‘Boet’ and ‘Swaer’) at a remote petrol station (who hide their stash of oil from all comers).
Cremora has embarked on various other campaigns over the years — one of the most recent being one that featured animated singing mugs. The latest spot sits very comfortably in the target market of the coffee-creamer brand.
New Cremora ad by Publicis Machine
In a TV sitcom-like scenario, complete with laugh track, there are two couples playing the boardgame “30 Seconds” while enjoying a cup of coffee. In case you didn’t know, “30 Seconds” is a guessing game, where one person on a team has a list of items, names, personalities — and by giving clues, but without actually saying any of the words on the card, the other member(s) of the team has to guess the items, within 30 seconds.
Appeals to a broad range
It’s a game that appeals to a broad range of people, as it tests communication skills and general knowledge, in a fun way. It can also test the limits of a relationship, as the time-limit makes it pressurised, and for certain, competitive people, this can cause outbursts which require a lot of patience on the part of the loving partner. (And I’m speaking from experience here.)
In this ad, the two teams are couples — one could assume they are married or engaged. It’s one woman’s turn to give her partner clues.
“It’s rich,” she says.
“Oprah,” he guesses.
She tries again: “No! It’s smooth, baby, smooth.”
“Jazz?” he hazards.
Her frustration begins to rise. “It’s creamy,” she says, “I make it for you all the time.”
He thinks he’s hit it this time: “Oh, cheesecake!”
The other couple watch the hourglass timer intensely, as time begins to run out for their opponents.
She has a burst of inspiration, shouting: “It’s not inside!”
“It’s on top!” he exclaims, very pleased with himself.
“Yes!” she shrieks, but it’s too late —
“Time!” yells the man on the opposing team.
“Cremora!” says the losing man, unnecessarily. “Baby, why didn’t you just point to it?”
Well, in my home, that would be considered cheating (we have a strict “no pointing, no miming” rule).
Very well-conceived scenario
In the context of the ad, I think the scenario is very well-conceived and, for the vast majority of upwardly mobile South Africans, who would apparently be the target for coffee-creamer, it’s a very recognisable scenario.
In this short vignette, we observe the personalities of all the characters: the slightly giddy wife/girlfriend trying to give quick clues, her goofy partner making ridiculous guesses, and the highly competitive opponents who scream “Time!” the moment the sand runs out.
Then there is the universal ‘nostalgia’ of the original ad — a powerful reminder that this is a truly iconic South African brand.
My only niggle is the laugh track. It seems a strange choice, as it’s not obviously a sitcom, but the canned laughter puts it firmly into that ‘universe’. I think it would have worked just as well without it, but I can only assume it was tested both ways.
Three most-important points
The strength of the ad is that it manages to put across the product’s three most-important selling points in an amusing and memorable way: ‘rich’, ‘smooth’ and ‘creamy’ — all words that can have other meanings, so by using the concept of association, the USP of the product is subtly reinforced in the viewer’s mind.
To coin a legendary slogan from this campaign, let’s just say that this ad is onnnn… top. Bravo!
Publicis Machine
Creative Director: Wim Spronk
Head of Copy: Jane Askew
Art Director: Aisha Mchumo
Agency Producer: Hazel van Jaarsveld
Head of Strategy: Andrew Michau
Client Service: Rolien Gouws
Ad of the Week, published on MarkLives every Wednesday, is penned by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki), the CEO of Ornico, a Brand Intelligence® firm that focuses on media, reputation and brand research.
If you are involved in making advertising that is smart, funny and/or engaging,
please let Oresti know about it at info@ornicogroup.co.za.
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