Cheryl Hunter (shelflife at marklives.com)’s weekly pick of recent product, packaging, design and food launches:
- Weylandts launches Tastemakers
- Brandhouse mixes it up
- Source Africa opens in Cape Town
- StreetSmart hits the R10m mark
Talking taste
Furniture and décor retailer Weylandts has launched “Tastemakers”, the first campaign created by its new in-house advertising team — a solution it says has provided inspiring, fresh ideas.
Weylandts marketing director and former MD of TBWA\Cape Town, Tim Culley, told Marklives that the team is located in the Weylandts head office: “We work amongst the product, employees and brand. We know more about it than we have ever come close to knowing about any of our clients when we were servicing them as an external service provider. The insights this generates to kick-start the creative ideas are priceless.”
According to Culley, the simple economics of having a creative team focusing eight hours a day on one brand, rather than sharing resources and creative thinking among four, eight or 20 clients, has established a significant cost saving for the client.
The team is headed by former creative director of TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris in Johannesburg, Renier Zandberg, who says the concept cements the brand’s position atop the furniture and décor list for trendsetters, designers and architects to visit to make any space look amazing. It speaks to the brand’s ability to create looks across its five Lifestyles by curating items from all over the world.
The #weylandts campaign includes TV, outdoor, radio, press and print.
Not so neat
Brandhouse has launched a new website to encourage the young and trendy to experiment with whisky flavours and banish pre-conceived purist notions around only drinking whisky neat.
According to Brandhouse, stylish young consumers are becoming discerning whisky drinkers and are happy to mix it up, but flavours need to be chosen carefully. It’s really about experimenting.
Whisky connoisseur, Marsh Middleton, says while it’s true that mixing a whisky with something such as ginger ale or lemonade will mask some of the flavours, the younger and more vibrant whiskies tend to hold their own and enhance a drink when mixed:
“Only if a whisky is aged to soft perfection would I say you can choose to drink your whisky neat. For most whiskies, a little water releases energy and activates an aroma explosion. Maybe a bit of an overstatement, but indeed more aromas are identifiable when you add a drop of water or two.
“Don’t be too prescriptive. Try it a couple of ways and experience the flavour variations for yourself.”
New-age connoisseurs may visit flavoursofwhisky.co.za to discover whether they like the flavours of honey and chocolate or “RICH”, which means they’d probably like “Ring the Bells”, a fusion of Bells Extra Special and tonic water. Those with a fruity palate would be categorised as “FRESH” and might savour “J Lo”, a mix of J&B Rare and Lemonade.
Smoky and woody flavours offer a “Johnnie Classic” or “BOLD” profile (Johnnie Walker Black Label and water), while the “VIBRANT” flavours such as zesty spices and pepper will enjoy Johnnie Walker Red Label and ginger ale — a “Johnnie Ginger”.
There’s also a competition to win a R20 000 whisky tasting
flavoursofwhisky.co.za | Facebook | #flavoursofwhisky
Growing Africa
Source Africa, pan-Africa’s largest textile, clothing and footwear trade event, opened in Cape Town this week with more than 1 600 international and regional buyers and over 200 African exhibitors, including Mauritius, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Taking place 9–11 June 2015 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), the event aims to increase market share for the continent, as well as develop regional trade between African countries.
Says Geerish Bucktowonsing, Enterprise Mauritius manager, “South Africa is a very important market for Mauritius and Source Africa is the ideal platform for our manufacturers to network with local, regional and international buyers all under one roof. Our focus is on strengthening our visibility in South Africa and positioning Mauritius as a reliable sourcing destination for quality and high-end products.”
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a US Government trade preference programme, offers certain African producers the opportunity to export a myriad of products including apparel, textiles and footwear, to the US, with up to 35% reduction in duties. As a result, several recognised US brands and retailers are already sourcing from the region and taking great advantage of savings upon both labour and duty rates.
William Scalco, organiser of Source Africa, says: “With the African apparel and footwear industry emerging as a key stakeholder in the international market, Source Africa provides the perfect opportunity for manufacturers, wholesalers, brands and retailers to seek opportunities and sustainable partnerships with key players in this ever-evolving sector.”
Source Africa is being supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which is committed to strengthening trade and investment in Africa.
www.sourceafrica.co.za | @SourceAfricaCT
Ten years of being StreetSmart
StreetSmart South Africa, a hugely successful community initiative that turns 10 this year, has raised nearly R10m in partnership with restaurants for organisations assisting SA’s most vulnerable children.
StreetSmart-participating restaurants display a StreetSmart card on the table, informing patrons that a voluntary R5 donation will be added to their bill. There is also the option to give more than R5 (or not give at all).
This donation is registered separately in the restaurant till and StreetSmart collects the funds. Every rand raised goes to carefully selected beneficiary organisations which provide programmes for vulnerable and marginalised children, focusing upon education, skills development and family reunification.
R5 may seem very little to give; yet, the initiatives and programmes funded by StreetSmart prove that a little goes a long way. In 2014 alone, over R1m was disbursed to beneficiaries. What makes it more powerful is that the funds collected in the local areas are ploughed back into beneficiary organisations in the vicinity of the participating restaurants.
Comments StreetSmart SA chairperson, Melanie Burke, “Raising nearly R10m over 10 years, R5 at a time from donations by diners, is no small feat and we are so grateful for their generosity and the commitment of our participating restaurants, giving responsibly to meet a real need in society.
“StreetSmart makes it possible for anyone to make a difference, simply by choosing where to dine, namely at a participating StreetSmart restaurant.”
To quote Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, founding patron of StreetSmart SA, “Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
www.streetsmartsa.org.za | @StreetSmartSA
Shelf Life is MarkLives.com’s weekly column covering new product, packaging, design and food launches. Notify us of yours at shelflife at marklives dot com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.
Cheryl Hunter (@cherylhunter) has written for the South African media, marketing and advertising industries for more than 15 years. A former editor of M&M in Independent Newspapers and contributor to Bizcommunity, AdFocus, AdReview and the Ad Annual, she has also produced for various television networks and currently consults on communication strategy and media liaison.
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