by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) The minute I heard the music for the new Tafel Lager adverts, I wanted to get up and dance. I wanted to dance on the table. I wanted to dance on the chairs.
The music for the new television commercial for the Namibian brewed beer comes, of course, from the up-tempo American soul duo, Gnarls Barkley (who are Danger Mouse aka music producer Brian Joseph Burton, and Thomas DeCarlo aka CeeLo Green) — a happy, clap-along song called “Going On”.
When you choose an incredible soundtrack for a commercial, you have to know exactly what you’re doing. Marrying the energy of sound and visual is a craft, and the director of this short commercial movie, Leigh Ogilvie, knows exactly what she’s doing.
Weathermen & Co. TVC for Namibian Breweries: “Tafel Lager — Moments”
- People dancing under the stars, with fireworks going off overhead
- Namibians in a pub, watching the national team playing on TV
- A match-cut to another TV, with Michelle McLean winning Miss Universe in 1992
- Paralympian Johanna Benson — Namibia’s first Olympic gold medallist — getting off a plane surrounded by press photographers
- The Namibian soccer team celebrating in their locker room
- A festive outdoor meal where a group of youngsters is presented with a roast sheep’s head (known in local parlance as a ‘smiley’ because of the visible teeth)
- An outdoor braai where a family is celebrating their daughter’s graduation
- A traditional Namibian wedding procession
- Finally ending with friends on a shady stoep (patio) enjoying the sunset, Tafel Lagers in hand.
The payoff line is: “Through every proud Namibian moment, we’ll be there. Tafel Lager, made of Namibia.”
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The result is a patriotic ad that’s not patronising. A commercial that thrums with energy and humanity and gives us beautiful insights into what it is to be proudly Namibian. It also offers strategic insight into the brand. It tells us that the people who’re managing this brand are smart. Here’s why.
The people who own the Tafel Lager brand are, of course, Namibia Breweries, those masters at creating national pride in their beers. Take a look at the “Beer That Brings The Most Cheer” map created by Vinepair, a media group that’s pioneering a new way for people to enjoy, understand and talk about wine, beer and cocktails.
The Vinepair beer map shows that Windhoek Lager is the most popular beer in Namibia. But brand loyalty isn’t just about popularity; it is also about love. Small surprise then Windhoek Lager is more loved in South Africa than Castle Lager. The NamBrew lager scored 84.8 in the South African Consumer Satisfaction Index (Sacsi), while Castle Lager scored 84.7. What this indicates to me is that NamBrew has nailed both, creating a brilliant product, and is incredibly intelligent when it comes to branding the company’s assets.
Like Windhoek Lager, Tafel Lager is brewed according to a tradition that was established in 1516 by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria and according to the Reinheitsgebot, which is otherwise known as the German Beer Purity Law. This means that the only ingredients that may be used in the brewing of the beer are water, barley and hops.
Says Tafel Lager: “The combination of the best raw materials and craftsmanship of our German-trained master brewers offers you a world-class beer with superior quality. That’s why you’ll find the Reinheitsgebot symbol, the ultimate sign of quality, on the neck of every single Tafel Lager, born, brewed and bottled right here in the land of the brave!” The land of the brave being Namibia, of course.
Now take a look at an earlier Tafel Lager ad — this one is called “A World I Call Home”. The deep, rich timbre in the voiceover says: “I get life from this incredible land”. Genius. Like the ‘Moments’ advert that’s just broken in broadcast, the brand understands the very human need to belong. To have roots. To have heritage. To be part of a people and a place one can call home.
Congratulations to Namibian Breweries, its advertising agency Weathermen & Co and to Leigh Ogilvie from Velocity Films and everyone else for a remarkable ad that one wants to watch again and again, and again!
Credits
Agency: Weathermen & Co.
Managing director: Leon Crous
Creative director: Leon van Rooyen
Copywriter: Leon van Rooyen
Production company: Lemon Reel Film Services
Director: Leigh Ogilvie from Velocity Films
Producer: Bernd Curschmann
Director of photography: Jamie D Ramsay
Production art director: Max van der Merwe
Post production
Editor: Shaun Brode — Upstairs Post Production
Music: Gnarls Barkley — Going On
Sound & final mix: Wojtek Majewski– Audio Art
Post production online: Charmaine Greyling — Upstairs Post Production.
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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