Time to educate on Proudly South African says TBWA\Gavin\Reddy

Inherent in this endorsement are key criteria, which include the promise of 50% local content; fair labour practice; quality and sound environmental standards.

The agency's role is two-fold. Firstly to persuade all consumers across the spectrum of the very real need to stimulate growth by supporting products that have the Proudly South African endorsement. Secondly to encourage business to acquire the Proudly South African endorsement as it carries with it certain intrinsic values - the goal of creating and retaining wealth within the local economic context.

In the development of their core advertising strategy, TBWA\Gavin \ Reddy has reasoned that a consumer decision is first rational (eliminating those options not suitable on factors like size, flavour, variant) using these eliminators to arrive at a narrower brand selection.

In the example of tuna fish the purchase decision eliminates through sub-categories like shredded or chunky, oil or water to arrive at a few brand options that meet these pre-selection criteria. "This is the rational part of the decision making process and it is at this level that the Proudly South African endorser brand must operate in the minds of consumers. In other words the conscious behaviour must become 'if there's no Proudly SA endorsement I will not support that brand'" says Justin McCarthy, managing director, TBWA\Gavin\Reddy.

Proudly SA in just two short years, has achieved a very satisfying 78% awareness of the logo but little comprehension of what the logo means. It is now ready to educate and establish that meaning.

The campaign is two-pronged, comprising both a retail and educational component. At the decision-making level (point of purchase) some hard-hitting retail terminology is put to work. "We have designed a selection of in-store materials for retail outlets that speak to the consumers in 'retail language'" McCarthy says. The copy lines play on easily recognised phrases, but strongly address the 'job creation' message: 'More jobs in every bag', 'Shop until unemployment drops' 'Today's special, products that create jobs' and 'Free with every purchase: jobs.'

The below-the-line elements are supported by TV and radio 'bleep' adverts resonating a store ambience with the use of the till bleep. These bleeps are interspersed with a voice over - announcing 'Five more jobs on a deep sea fishing trawler', 'Six jobs in a furniture workshop' building to the message, that: "Every Proudly South African Product you buy, creates opportunities and changes the future of our country."

"This retail focus is the sharp end of the campaign and where we intend to make a real impact," said Proudly South African CEO Martin Feinstein. He said "TBWA \ Gavin \ Reddy's proposal had immediacy, impact, urgency and integrity."

McCarthy says, "This works well to develop the retail genre of this campaign, but its more than that. On a deeper level we are talking about transformation. To illustrate this we have created an emotive, strongly messaged visual communication, showing the character as the catalyst to various transformational situations.

She starts out at a derelict factory building which, when she looks at it, begins to clean and fix itself and becomes operational again. She moves through several scenarios changing them from a position of hopelessness and despair to one of hope and opportunity. This moves to the final message, conveyed as the only verbal element of the communication, 'The power of change is in your hands. Create jobs, Choose Proudly South African.'

"This execution talks to the viewer about 'the contribution you can make to help influence change' and begins to consolidate in the minds of the consumers who make the connection to the in-store, TV and radio elements and buy into the major themes of the transformation i.e. - from high crime to no crime; from derelict to smart; from abjection to wealth etc," McCarthy says.

"Our success with this campaign will be evaluated against volume sales increases and the number of clients who approach Proudly South African for their endorsement."

Concluding he says: "Fundamentally the subject of economic growth is of interest to every South African irrespective of their financial status. The option to support Proudly South African and what it stands for must be a conscious decision, motivated by freedom of choice: choose responsibly, choose to make a difference, but actively choose. Our goal is to take the awareness beyond understanding and into action."