Share

Cheryl Hunter (shelflife at marklives.com)’s weekly pick of all things new — product, packaging, design, insight, food, décor and more!

  • SA gets growling to celebrate 50 years of Mercedes
  • FCB gives Absa new perspective
  • Prima Toys joins unboxing video trend

Get growling

To mark its half-century, Mercedes-AMG has launched a national campaign focused on its distinctly recognisable voice: the signature growl of the AMG engine exhaust.

Mercedes-Benz AMG 50 yearsThe brand is calling on South Africans to imitate this iconic sound on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or any other social media channel and tag Mercedes-Benz South Africa using the hashtag #AMGgrowl.

Created by Net#work BBDO, the campaign kicks off with videos featuring ‘Friends of the Brand’, including fashion designer David Tlale; musician J’Something of Mi Casa; TV personality Jeannie D and environmentalist Kevin Richardson, among others, all doing their best interpretation of the distinctive growl. The videos will be released online by Mercedes-AMG during August 2017 as inspiration for AMG fans to add their own growls to the collection.

Says Selvin Govender, marketing director, Mercedes-Benz Cars, “South Africans have shown us just how much they love our AMG cars, especially the visceral exhaust note, and this is why we plan to also profile our fans doing the growl, while highlighting the inherent beauty of our AMG range. It’s a celebration of Driving Performance as well as a ‘thank you’ to all who hold our brand close to their hearts.”

Comments Gau Narayanan, MD of Net#work BBDO, “Our insight kept coming back to the distinctive noise or growl that turns heads and gets the pulses racing — this is the soundtrack of 50 years of outstanding motoring performance — so we decided to celebrate this performance by taking the growl to the public in a fun and light hearted manner. The Mercedes-Benz brand team has always been brave and has been pushing the limits to drive salience and brand meaning. This socially driven, mobile-first campaign is further evidence of that.”

The campaign relies on a coalition of agency partners including production company Ginkgo, Publicis Machine, New Media and ByDesign Communications, as well as Net#work BBDO. It will culminate at the Festival of Motoring, being held at the Kyalami Race Track 1-3 September, where the brand will profile some of the fan videos alongside the latest AMG vehicles, including the new Mercedes-AMG GT R and AMG GT C.

mbworld.co.zaFacebookTwitter
networkbbdo.co.zaFacebookTwitterRamify

 

A better perspective

The concept of changing your perspective and viewing things differently is central to a newly installed 3D artwork at Barclays Towers West, Absa’s head office in Johannesburg, which was created as part of Absa’s “Get a better perspective” advertising campaign.

Collage Absa Premium BankingThe installation comprises almost 1000 dissected and multilayered premium banking cards, suspended in the air using several kilometres of fishing line. The campaign centres on a relooked Platinum Banking offering to become Absa Premium Banking, providing customers with a new name, new look and a better perspective on growing their money.

Conceptualised by FCB Joburg, the artwork was erected by Riaan Jacobs, a creative implementer from set design and construction company, Dream Sets.

Says Ingrid Veysie, head of marketing, Absa Retail and Business Banking, “It is a physical manifestation of taking an ordinary item, such as a bank card and, when applying a fresh perspective, converting it into something quite extraordinary. The eye is led from a seeming jumble of bank cards to a clear message when viewed from the right perspective. We see this installation living beyond the confines of our business. We’d like it to come to represent a call to action to all South Africans to look at things from a fresh perspective and realise better outcomes for all.”

absa.co.zaFacebookTwitter
fcb.co.zaFacebookTwitterRamify

 

Prima Toys harnesses unboxing video trend

Leading toy importer and distributor, Prima Toys, has released a series of unboxing videos called “The Very Serious Toy Show” to add an extra touchpoint to the brand’s marketing strategy.

Prima Toys is reportedly the first toy company in South Africa to create its own unboxing videos, keeping consumers in the know about toy trends. Unboxing videos have become a huge phenomenon internationally; a number of unboxing presenters have reached celebrity status, with hundreds of thousands and even millions of fans the world over.

Says Chiquita Patrizi, marketing executive of Prima Toys, “Unboxing videos provide us with the opportunity to quite literally unpack products and show the viewer what is inside. This way, both parents and their children know exactly what is in the box and what they will be getting. This allows them to make an informed decision before purchasing a product — it also provides great entertainment for the children watching.”

Sasha-Lee Findlay, who stars in the unboxing videos, is the social and digital engagement manager at Prima Toys and she works alongside UX/UI professional, Dutch_UxUi, to create the videos.

primatoys.co.zaFacebookTwitter
marvelapp.com/profile/Dutch_UxUiTwitter

 

Cheryl HunterShelf Life is MarkLives.com’s weekly column covering all things new. 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.

Sign up now for the MarkLives email newsletter every Monday and Thursday, now including headlines from the Ramify.biz company newsroom service!

Share
Online CPD Courses Psychology Online CPD Courses Marketing analytics software Marketing analytics software for small business Business management software Business accounting software Gearbox repair company Makeup artist