Premiered in June 2023, DStv’s ‘Shaka Ilembe’ tells the story of the great King Shaka Zulu. The production has been in the making for over six years and is told from the insights of descendants of the great King, including the newly coronated King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, and the late King Goodwill Zwelithini.
Our long-term client, DStv, presented us with a challenge of creating an innovative way to advertise this historic telenovela and capture the audience. To do this we came up with a massive holographic installation that matches the story of the prolific King Shaka.
To bring the story home, we flighted four holograms in KwaZulu-Natal’s King Shaka International Airport. We wanted to trigger a sense of nostalgia in those who are familiar with the story, while simultaneously piquing the interests of those who are not as familiar with the Zulu nation’s remarkable royalty.
The first season of the telenovela follows the beginnings of the King’s life as it tells the story of how one young boy would come to lead a nation of over 250,000 people and 50,000 soldiers. To accurately reflect the rise of both the King and the Zulu nation, the holograms feature the story from a young age until the King’s teenage years.
The Shaka Illembe hologram at the King Shaka Airport in Durban.The holograms were strategically placed where all patrons would not only see but also engage them. Two of the activations were at the luggage carousels where the public would spend their time waiting for their luggage watching young Shaka become the teenager who would eventually become a great king. In addition to those two holograms, another two were placed along the staircases and elevators leaving the airport. We did this to ensure that ‘Shaka Ilembe’ is the last thing they see as they make their way to their next destination, thus keeping it top of mind.
At the airport, we also flighted the making and development of the static billboards, therefore alluding to the idea that they would see more of this activation outside of the airport. Taking it a step further, we provided the client with static billboards along Queen Nandi Highway, in KwaMashu and other high impact sites across the KZN area to support the overall out-of-home strategy.
The Shaka Illembe hologram at the King Shaka Airport in Durban.These billboards highlighted the story of his mother, Queen Nandi (played by accomplished actress, Nomzamo Mbatha), with the enchanting title “Indodana yami iyeza”, translated to mean “my son is coming”. The inclusion of Queen Nandi in the rollout also served as an introduction of Shaka to the world.
As the story of King Shaka progresses through the storytelling in ‘Shaka Ilembe’, so will our innovative and forward-thinking strategies. Our strategies are consistent with matching the stature of whatever and whomever we may be highlighting through our OOH innovations. So, as the story of ‘Shaka Ilembe’ continues our strategies will continue to highlight the larger-than-life persona of the King.
