Coming in at number one for Q3 2019 is Nespresso’s ‘Really George’, from McCann New York. The ad featuring George Clooney and Natalie Dormer is part of the largest global Nespresso campaign to date, ‘The Quest’, where George, Nespresso’s brand ambassador, is majestically suited up in an epic adventure to find his heart’s desire, the kingdom’s most exceptional coffee. The potent mix of celebrities and a crafted story engages viewers across the world and mirrors Nespresso’s own tireless pursuit to deliver exceptional coffee experiences.
Joe Public’s ‘School of smooth’ ad for Tropika is Q4’s number one ad. Set on a beautiful tropical island, the creative cues echo the brand’s personality with the Jamaican voice over and sounds of waves crashing in the distance. The bottle of Tropika is well placed in the story to aid brand memorability.
Most of the ads in these quarters have an unmistakably South African flavour with funny and engaging stories used to break through the clutter to capture our attention. While the global trend shows humour declining over time, South Africans, more than any other nation, love humour. But funny can be hard, and brands have to work to ensure the humour matches the brand personality and does not overshadow the brand narrative.
We also see two vernac ads from DStv and Crosse & Blackwell. “Vernacular advertising is one strategy that can help brands better connect with consumers and create an emotional engagement,” comments Natalie Botha, head of creative development at Kantar South Africa. As former President Nelson Mandela said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
Mixing it up is ‘Dedela’, the ad from Jameson featuring a female narrator. The ad breaks new ground in the genre and is a far cry from what you’d expect to see in a whiskey spot, celebrating South African stories and moments in a way that all South Africans can relate to.
While there is no recipe for success in advertising, there are some winning ingredients: make a meaningful impression, work with the brain and not against it, good storytelling leaves an impression, no brand means no impression, and get the channel right. Emotional relevance and creative engagement in advertising are critical to the ad’s effectiveness and success, and by working with people’s brains engaging advertising can seed ideas, associations and feelings that are triggered during the purchase process, even long after the ad was last seen.
| #1 AD Q3 2019 | #1 AD Q4 2019 | ||
| Nespresso: Really George | Tropika: School of smooth | ||
| McCann New York | Joe Public | ||
| RANK | AD | CREATIVE AGENCY |
| 1 | Nespresso “Really George” | McCann New York |
| 2 | Tastic “Tastic & David Tlale #My Heritage 2019” | DNA Brand Architects |
| 3 | Rugby World Cup 2019 “You don’t need to know the rules to enjoy the game” | Publicis Italy |
| 4 | Takealot “Think tech, think Takealot.com” | M&C Saatchi Abel |
| 5 | DStv Compact “Kuse khaya la” | Ogilvy South Africa |
| 6 | Pick n Pay “Inkukhu” | King James |
| 7 | Sanlam “A whole new world” | King James |
| 8 | McDonald’s “Unleash your inner foodie” | Pacinamix |
| 9 | McDonald’s “Know our food”” | Pacinamix |
| 10 | Hungry Lion “Spice things up” | Blixem Media & Hungry Lions in-house agency |
| RANK | AD | CREATIVE AGENCY |
| 1 | Tropika “School of smooth” | Joe Public |
| 2 | KFC “Nach'yo usual cheese, nach'your usual cheese burger” | Ogilvy South Africa |
| 3 | Spur “Flagbearer” | 99c |
| 4 | & Blackwell Mayonnaise “The praise singer” | Ogilvy South Africa |
| 5 | Steers “Cheesy bacon meal” | McCann1886 |
| 6 | Debonairs “Khetha 5” | FCB Joburg |
| 7 | UberEats “Nobody gets it like we do” | Joe Public |
| 8 | Jameson “Dedela” | FCB Joburg |
| 9 | Telkom “FreeMe” | Wunderman Thompson |
| 10 | Mentos “Small talk - Dad” | BBH London |
To view the PDF of all the ads for Q1&2 2019, click here
Adtrack™ is Kantar's proprietary advertising testing system, evaluating the impact and liking of all brand advertising in South Africa for over 35 years. The resultant database stands at over 100,000 TV adverts tested, and more than 1.1 million interviews conducted, making this database one of the largest of its kind in the world. Find out how your creative and media benchmarks against the competition! Adtrack is the most comprehensive and sophisticated post launch evaluation and planning efficiency tool available. A commissioned Adtrack study offers deeper insight and understanding on the performance and effectiveness of your ads. Through the use of Kantar’s Media Optimiser tool, we are able to recommend the optimal future flighting of ads, to maximise your return on investments. Adtrack studies are available across all media channels.
Monique Claassen
Director Media and Digital
moc.ratnak@nessaalc.euqinom
