Vodacom latest campaign hits the mark with SA viewers

July 20, 2009 at 11:18 am | Posted in Ad commentary | Leave a comment
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Vodacom FameWhen Vodacom first launched its ‘Connect to Fame’ brand advertising campaign, it was met with some disappointment as Vodacom broadband subscribers had been expecting price reductions or new internet services. Instead, the aim of the campaign is to show that anyone in South Africa can connect to the internet and become famous.

The campaign is a national competition to rocket one lucky South African to fame. Aspiring celebrities can record their own videos of the ‘Single Ladies’ dance sequence and post it on the Vodacom Fame website, where the public can vote for it. The winning video clip of the Vodacom Fame  ‘Single Ladies’ competition will star in Vodacom’s next TV commercial and earn the winner a cash prize.

As the public has grown to understand the method behind this madness, it has come to embrace this campaign as only South Africans can. Vodacom has been showing its signature ‘Single Ladies’ video clip on TV to promote the competition, and judging by the comments on various blogs, it has been a success.

Duncan from Springleap.com describes the commercial featuring a South African actor performing his rendition of Beyonce’s ‘All the Single Ladies’ dance as “brilliant” but simultaneously “horrific” because the actor is dressed in “the dodgiest attire I have ever seen on a guy” – short, tight denim shorts; a multi-coloured, shiny jacket; and gold gloves! Abigail Abrahams comments that the commercial is “admittedly very funny – especially the serious look on the actor’s face while he’s doing the most ridiculous dancing.”

So after a bumpy start, Vodacom’s latest campaign seems to have hit the mark with South African TV viewers. It comes as no surprise, really, considering the company’s history of successful campaigns – starting with ‘Yebo Gogo’, and more recently with ‘We’ve been having it’.

I’m looking forward to seeing what members of the public have come up with in response to the call for their interpretations of the ‘Single Ladies’ dance sequence – it’s sure to make for entertaining viewing, and will certainly boost Vodacom’s brand image.

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