For all its excitement, advertising can be dull at times. Generic projects with generic strategies and generic outcomes. Just watch television for an hour and you’ll see the lack of love and enthusiasm. You’ll see the effect of agencies going through the motions. Trying, but not really caring.
But every now and again, you come across a project that transcends advertising. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. Projects where you don’t sell anything to anyone. Where your target audience isn’t a statistic, but a common denominator called compassion. One such project is Centrum Guardians. As an example of cause marketing that drove a brand proposition, it leads the way as one of South Africa’s best yet. But that’s not what this entry is about. (If you’re interested in the numbers, drop us a line and we’ll gladly share them.)
This entry is about ad people who have the rare chance to pour their passion into something they believe in. An idea with a cause. A campaign that pays homage to the brave souls from the Emergency Rescue Services all over the country. In a way, it is the perfect marriage; a bunch of oddball ad people teaming up with fire fighters, paramedics and lifeguards (to name but a few) to retell their tales of ‘heroism’ (they don’t like it when we used that word). From the outset, we were willing to walk through fire, literally and figuratively. We became rebels with a cause.
Too often we get told that if you really believe in something, you’ll do whatever it takes. You go above and beyond. You’ll even sacrifice. But rarely do we get the opportunity (read: project) where our hearts give us the spontaneous thumbs up. Centrum Guardians is one of those rare projects. The last eight years has seen us produce work that connects with people, but more importantly, it allowed everyone to flex their considerable marketing muscles for a good cause. It showed everyone that hidden nirvana in the marketing world that’s not about sales or awards. It’s about doing good, and when you do it well, it feels great. Amazing, really.
These rebels are looking for a new cause. Watch this space.