Tag Archives: TV commercials

Nandos Xenophobic TV Ad Hits The Newspapers

Posted on by

Nandos and its advertising agency, Black River FC, have always been quick off the mark, looking for ways to capitalise on matters making the news and getting the brand talked about, and with their latest Bio-diversity TV commercial, have done it again. Not being happy having their ad banned from the airwaves by the SABC, MNet, DSTV and eTV for being too xenophobic, they decided to gain publicity by “airing” the offending ad in the newspaper. Clever.

The full page full colour ad in this week’s Sunday Times entitled “The pro-diversity ad broadcasters don’t want you to see” with the TV script “You know what’s wrong with South Africa? All you foreigners. You must all go back to where you came from. You Cameroonians, Congolese, Pakistanis, Somalis, Ghanaians and Kenyans. And of course you Nigerians and you Europeans. Let’s not forget all you Indians and Chinese. Even you Afrikaners. And it’s back to Swaziland for you Swatis, Lesotho for you Sothos, Tswanas, Vendas, Zulus, everybody…” has certainly had people sitting up and taking notice.

The commercial ends with the voice over saying “Real South Africans love diversity. That’s why we’ve introduced two more items to our menu: delicious peri-crusted wings for R19.90..and mouthwatering Trichado and chips for R24.90”

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R7vu9SuxaQ” title=”Nando's Xenophobic Ad”]

And just in case you haven’t been following the issue, the copy at the bottom of the newspaper ad explains that “SABC, M-Net and etv have banned this ad. They’ve made the decision for you. That’s why we’re giving you the option of seeing it here. Unlike our broadcasters, we’re giving you the right to choose”

Earlier this month, TV stations SABC, DSTV, MNet and eTV chose not to flight the ad, arguing that it promoted xenophobia, had xenophobic connotations and could incite attacks on foreigners. Commenting further, a spokesperson for the SABC said “Nando’s may say that it is trying to promote diversity but what we are concerned about is that the public might interpret it differently”

The print ad also had a YouTube address, showing where the commercial could be viewed. (Which, at the time of writing, had been viewed nearly four hundred thousand times. Bet your bottom dollar that it will be viewed by a heck of a lot more than this as word spreads)

Whilst I think the ad is great, my only question is why no mention of Zimbabweans? With an estimated three to four million Zimbabweans living in South Africa (and with the TV ad showing some of them coming through the fence on the Beitbridge border), one would have thought that our northern brethren would have been the focus – but maybe a bit too close to home, I suggest? And maybe because Nandos were stung by the reaction of Mugabe’s Zanu PF and threats against Nandos Zimbabwe by Mugabe’s Chipangano militia when its “dictator” commercial flighted a few months back?

I shudder (and laugh) to think what the SABC and other TV stations must feel when advised of a new Nandos commercial? With the company’s reputation for producing edgy and provocative work, they must quake in their boots…

But hats off to Nandos for their courageous advertising. With this latest commercial, they have certainly caught the attention. It can’t be easy for TV stations to turn away advertising, especially in this economy. Although I see their point. Running the risk of promoting xenophobia in South Africa is something far more serious and important than allowing a franchise to sell fast food.

Advertising on SABC’s Generations Can Cost You Millions

Posted on by

SABC 1 GenerationsDue to the popularity of SABC1’s TV soap, Generations, ad agencies are often asked for their thoughts pertaining to advertising on the program.

Straight to it then: advertising on Generations is prohibitively expensive so if you’re don’t have a budget running into the early millions, flighting a TV commercial during this program may not be for you. Not when you consider that a thirty second flighting could set you back upwards of R130 000 excl VAT. And that’s for just one flighting.

Flight your ad on, say five episodes of Generations and you’re in for R650 000 odd. Could you flight your commercial less than five times? You could, but does it make sense to? Probably not. The reason being that advertising gets taken in over time and that whilst there is nothing wrong with quick advertising bursts, there should be advertising bursts over a sustained period for your intended message to hit home.

So unless you’re a national brand and a big advertiser like Colgate Palmolive, ABSA, FNB, Cell-C, MNet or Vodacom, you’d best look at advertising during TV time slots where the costs are lower.  The likes of Isidingo, Carte Blanche, Top Billing etc are all popular amongst advertisers, and whilst not cheap, deliver the necessary ARs (audience ratings) at a more palatable cost.

This is not to slate Generations in any way. If you have a marketing budget that extends to advertising on this hugely popular TV series, and your product or service is aimed at its viewership, it’s a good buy and you won’t go wrong.

According to Richard Lord, managing director of The Media Shop, who spoke on Jenny Chrys-Williams’s 702 program recently, marketers are attracted to TV programs with large viewerships (measured as ARs). This stands to reason, and Generations enjoys the highest ARs of them all – more even than the 2010 World Cup soccer final.

I’m not sure of the exact figures but something like 6 million people watch Generations on a weekly basis. That is massive, and no other program comes close to delivering this sort of number.

What’s important also is the loyalty aspect. People tend to watch every episode. So if you’re advertising regularly on the program, your product or service stands a  chance of being associated with the program. Always a good thing.

An example of this was Samsung’s advertising on the recently-ended Brothers and Sisters. Annoying it may have been to some, but there was always a Samsung commercial somewhere in the program and people who never missed an episode of the series would come to associate the brand with the program. That couldn’t have done any harm to Samsung as a brand.

But, back to Generations: let’s assume that as a marketer you have the required marketing budget but no ad agency. How best to go about it? My advice is that you contact a good marketing agency (there are a number that will come up in a Google search) or that you contact the likes of The Media Shop, whose services will come to you at no cost -assuming of course that they get to plan and buy your media.

Media independents like The Media Shop (there are others) will negotiate you the best rate to advertise and it won’t cost you a cent extra as they make their money from being paid a media commission from the media owner. (The SABC in this case).

By going though an ad agency or media buying and planning facility, you will also be advised as to the advertising options possible on a program like Generations. Rather than flighting a regular thirty second ad, a shorter duration commercial may deliver more bang for your buck. It will certainly buy your greater frequency. Or maybe a product placement could work better for you.

(A number of locally-produced soaps will be open to weaving your product or service into their storyline to give it more credibility and product placement is sometimes more effective than conventional advertising).

Whether this is the case with Generations however is a moot point as it is a very popular program and you may well have to join the queue. The point being that an advertising agency or media house will be able to do the negotiating for you.

 

How Much Does a TV Ad or Radio Commercial Cost?

Posted on by

Of all the questions an advertising agency could be asked, these may well be the most difficult. Why? Because they’re not easy to answer with so many variables at play. A TV commercial shot in studio is cheaper than one shot on location. An animated TV commercial is generally more expensive than one with no animation. A radio ad with one voice is cheaper than one requiring three voices. A radio commercial requiring the composition of a music track is more expensive than one using library music. Continue reading →

An Marketing Campaign That Looks Like Insurance..

Posted on by

…sounds like insurance, is insurance but raises questions about what’s important in the marketing of insurance. Santam’s TV advertising commercial featuring Sir Ben Kingsley (and look-alikes) is certainly memorable, watchable and very well produced, but I have doubts as to how effective it is proving in the marketplace.

Consider the copy in the newspaper ad: “Every day there are more and more policies out there. At a glance they all seem similar and make the same reassurances, but the reality is, it’s getting harder to tell the good from the not so great. That’s why it’s so important that you scrutinise your policy before buying insurance. And that you ask the right questions. Is it the insurance you think it is, or does it just resemble it? Santam. Insurance. Good and proper”. Continue reading →