16690: SASKO Sandwich Stunt Feels Like Baloney.

 

Machine in South Africa is responsible for this SASKO campaign celebrating Freedom Day with a limited edition Freedom Loaf—which featured white and brown bread together, prompting people to make Freedom Sandwiches. Here’s the explanation:

 

Sandwiches have been made the same way throughout the years. It’s always brown on brown, white on white, rye on rye, wholewheat on wholewheat. It’s as if the Group Areas Act* and Immorality Act** were in effect for bread.

 

On Freedom Day (27 April) 2024, a day commemorating 30 years of democracy in the country, SASKO encouraged South Africans to challenge the norm and free their taste buds. How? By making and enjoying their sandwich using both white and brown slices (or any other kind of bread, for that matter). We revealed a limited edition Freedom Loaf. It got dropped off with influencers and these influencers made Freedom Sandwiches, sharing them on social, encouraging people to make their own. There were 45 pieces of influencer created content, thanks to the Freedom Loaf, helping to increase engagement with SASKO online by 529%. The earned PR was significant and the Freedom Loaf was so well-received, people voiced on social media how they wanted it to become a permanent feature of the SASKO bread range.

 

*The Group Areas Act: an apartheid era South African law that ensured there were designated areas for a specific race to live and no mixing was allowed with other races.

 

**The Immorality Act: an apartheid era South African law that made it illegal for whites and people of colour (brown/black) to be in relationships (intimate or otherwise).

 

Gee, no one thought to create a Nelson Mandeli…?

 

16035: Chicken Licken V Black Panther…?

 

Not sure how Chicken Licken managed to get away with a copyright-violating parody of Wakanda Forever—Ya’hunga Forever—created by Joe Public in South Africa…?!

 

Avengers—And Attorneys—Assemble!

 

15080: Soul Food Served In Soulful South African Style…?

Chicken Licken offers Soul Food for a Soulful Nation. The soulful nation is none other than South Africa. The commercial is chock-full of racial stereotypes. While Blacks might have been behind the mess, the responsible advertising agency is so full of White people.

14956: Nando’s Does Chicken Wrong.

The creative clowns responsible for this Nando’s post from South Africa should be given the finger.

14878: Now Playing In Theatrics—Violence Against Women In South Africa.

This campaign from South Africa seeks to generate awareness for violence against women via movie poster parodies…? Sorry, the concept gets a thumbs down.

14763: #SayNoToXenophobia And Zip It Up…?

This Nigerian advertisement seems to have mixed up its metaphors, as zippers and bridges make a clumsy intersection.

14589: Happy Birthday To Hugh.

Today’s Google Doodle saluted the late Hugh Masekela—the father of South African jazz—on his birthday.

14426: You People Who Eat At Nando’s Should Boycott.

M&C Saatchi Abel is responsible for this Nando’s campaign featuring a video focused on the phrase, “You People.”

You people in South Africa are pathetic.

13683: 100% Bullshit.

The Media Online reported a self-promotional billboard for Black-owned BWD Advertising was investigated for being racist after receiving a complaint from a “member of the public” in South Africa. Is Gustavo Martinez freelancing for WPP in Johannesburg now? But seriously, the individual apparently took offense to the billboard proclaiming, “100% Black Owned Advertising Agency. Some things are better at 100%.” In the end, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled the message was not racist. Hey, somebody ask the ASA to investigate the White advertising agencies in the country. Those places are full of racism. And it’s likely that BWD Advertising collects Vegemite sandwich crumbs compared to its exclusively White counterparts.

BWD’s ‘100% black-owned’ ad agency billboard not racist, says ASA

Posted By TMO Reporter

A billboard with the wording, ‘100% Black Owned Advertising Agency. Some things are better at 100%”, using an image of a cup of black coffee, is not racist, the Advertising Standards Authority has ruled.

The BWD Advertising billboard, on a footbridge spanning across the M1 South approximately one kilometre north of the Marlboro Drive off-ramp in Johannesburg, was the subject of a complaint lodged by a member of the public in February.

After a two-month investigation, the ASA directorate said transformation processes, such as B-BBEE, were the result of government policy, and were aimed at improving the overall wealth and prosperity of those sectors of the community that did not previously have the means to create their own prosperity. The advertisement did not impose “any burden on any person or race and is therefore not in contravention of Clause 3.4 of Section II of the Code”.

Therefore the advertisement clearly makes a hypothesis and is justifiable in terms of government’s B-BBEE policy, it said. The complaint was dismissed as the billboard’s message was not infringing on any government or advertising laws. The ASA said BWD Advertising was merely exercising its right to broadcast an achievement and an “edge” it has in the advertising industry.

Bongani Gosa, founder and CEO, established BWD Advertising in 2006 as a full service marketing agency. Gosa said the billboard was placed to communicate BWD’s achievement as one of the very few South African advertising agencies that are 100% black owned, which honours the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) strategy. This mandate clearly calls for companies to increase the number of black people participating in the country’s economy to fight high unemployment rates and challenges imposed by the past.

Gosa said he was relieved that the ASA clearly saw his agency’s intention with the billboard – to celebrate, not affront. “I firmly believe in growing our country by empowering the youth. Only if they are mentored correctly, will they lead the country forward without racism and corruption, which is something that I promote passionately. No divided country can truly prosper,” he said.

Gosa employs 10 full-time employees and gives five graduates the opportunity every year to gain work experience. BWD Advertising also contributes financially to the the Each One Teach One Foundation, a business mentorship initiative that helps accelerate the growth of entrepreneurs. The foundation gives small-business owners and entrepreneurs the opportunity to get face-to-face time with proven business specialists, enabling upcoming entrepreneurs and owners of SMMEs with expert advice and invaluable insights.

13584: Vapid Vagina Varsity.

Vagina Varsity launched to hawk Libresse panty liners via BBDO in South Africa. Gee, did the idiots behind this bush-league bullshit draw inspiration from the infamous “Hail to the V” debacle for Summer’s Eve? It appears that the stars of the campaign are two Black women, while the creatives snatching credit for the concept appear to be White women. The agency will undoubtedly insist they deserve a Glass Lion for thinking outside the box.

13299: KFClichéd & Culturally Clueless.

Despite the high production values, isn’t this KFC commercial from Ogilvy in South Africa essentially the standard stereotype of Black folks singing and dancing over fried chicken?

13089: Exclusive CASE Study.

Saatchi & Saatchi in South Africa created this commercial for CASE, an organization committed to breaking the cycle of crime and violence affecting children in at-risk communities. It’s a wonder Saatchi & Saatchi didn’t partner with CASE to establish a minority internship program. BTW, were any minorities involved in the creation of the spot? Based on the people section of the agency website, it’s doubtful. And that’s a crime.

13023: Mickey D’s Diverted Diversity…?

This Mickey D’s commercial from Leo Burnett in South Africa for the Big Flavour Trio is triple awful: Terrible. Trite. Trash. Oddly enough, the responsible creative team appears to be comprised of White women. Looks like an example of diverted diversity taken to a bizarrely obscene level.

12953: Global Total Toyota…?

Thought Toyota commercials in the U.S. were bad? Check out what’s playing in South Africa.