The finest cut meat grilled to perfection

Ah, my first television commercial! In 2008, I had the opportunity to work on a TVC for Cattle Baron and was assigned to coming up with a story line, as well as script. I had to tell the world how passionate the restaurant was about making their food.

I started playing around with words and ideas, until I came across a silly little pun, where lovers meat. As to say, couples would meet here for a romantic date, while the chefs are in love with what they do, and what Cattle Baron does best, is meat.

I realised this wasn’t pay-off line material, but I was determined to communicate my idea simply and effectively. Thus began the tale of a chef who falls in love with the steak he has carefully selected and masterfully prepared. He doesn't want to let it go when he is faced with the reality that it's only an order, but admits that this happens every single time.

So, the idea comes through that Cattle Baron continuously delivers the finest cut meat grilled to perfection.

Treat people with epilepsy the same as people without epilepsy

It's hard to imagine what someone with epilepsy actually goes through when they experience a seizure, and not to mention the post-drama they have to face when surrounded by curious onlookers.

Sadly, people with epilepsy are often judged on their condition - and not on who they are as people with ambitions and potential. It's a condition that causes a lot of confusion, and I wanted create a campaign with a simple call to action. Treat people with epilepsy the same as people without epilepsy speaks for itself, and that is exactly what I wanted to convey.

If you can help out in any way or want to know more about the work of Epilepsy South Africa, look them up over here.

We develop independence, one child at a time

Professionals agree that intensive treatment at an early age can make an enormous difference in the life of a child with autism (which is part of a group of serious developmental problems that appear in early childhood).

SNAP offers a child-specific programme that ensures an unique approach to each aspect of the child's holistic development.

In short, SNAP helps to develop an independent future for children with autism. I felt that a straightforward message would help emphasise what SNAP does:  
We develop independence, one child at a time.

  If you can help this non-profit organisation in any way, please visit them here.

The pioneers of the Cape Winelands

Lanzerac’s history dates as far back as the late 1600s. The Winery is situated on a piece of land that was granted by Simon van der Stel himself, and thus, Lanzerac places great emphasis on its over 300 year old history.

As one of the first wineries in the Cape, I wanted to communicate Lanzerac as the pioneers who assisted putting the renowned Cape Winelands on everyone's map.

 

 

The way the West was really won

When I was little, I was pretty fascinated with cowboys. I remember my first Western, it was a typical meet-at-dawn-for-a-showdown type of Spaghetti Western. They had guns, they rode horses and they fought the bad guys - this is what my dreams were made of for months to follow. I distinctly recall the cowboys sitting around a campfire preparing baked beans.

This stuck with me.

In college, we received a brief for Heinz Beans. My fond memories of cowboys eating beans sprung up immediately, as I started brainstorming. I came up with the pay-off line, The way the West was really won, for the campaign.

As I didn’t appreciate the art direction for my college hand-in, I decided to redo the ads for my portfolio. I used Adobe Photoshop and InDesign for my endeavour, to truly capture what I had in mind the first time around.

I extended the campaign, adding one more print ad, a TV ad, as well as an online initiative to encourage people to sign up to the Heinz Beans database.

 Print

 

 

Television

Open on a small town straight out of a Spaghetti Western. It’s hot and windy, while a tumbleweed is making its way across the street. We see a cowboy standing against a pillar, and then we follow him. Another cowboy is shown resting, sitting with his feet up.

A calm before the storm.

The sitting cowboy is agitated, as he stands up to walk down the street. We show a series of close up shots of the two, focussing on their eyes, boots and hands - adding to the suspense of the duel, while not giving away the actual distance between them.

They stand opposite one another, the cowboys are only revealed in close-ups. Their eyes meet and the mood is tense. The one smirks, the other is startled and tries to draw - but the grinning cowboy gets there first!

We hear no gunshot. The camera zooms out and we hear a can opening. They didn’t duel to the death, but for the tender taste of Heinz Beans.

Online

Online game with three levels, each stage with an upgraded difficulty level. The user must sign up to the Heinz Beans database in order to partake in The way the West was really won online game.

 

In the game, the user will be portrayed by a cowboy - only the hand and pistol will be visible during gameplay (similar to first person shooter games, like Doom).

The user will be competing against other players that are signed in. The aim of the game is to collect as many cans of Heinz Beans as possible, while shooting the duds, within a limited time frame in order to accumulate points.

Nothing short of a Revolution

When you are given a brief to communicate the uniqueness of a product, you kind of have to shrug - especially if this product belongs to a category that is already so overwhelmed with me-too products!

Imagine this: a brand wine, shown on Bloubergstrand, strategically placed with Table Mountain in the background. The brand name and its logo was already decided, Capetonian Wines was set to stun the masses. All we needed was an apt pay-off line to communicate that it was unique.

BUT...

The logo, which was a replica of the Royal Air Force roundel, gave me an idea of a brand that is out to be individual - to stand out from the category. Was I the only one in the boardroom who could see the possibilities this brand offered? Well, I stated my case and we worked on my suggestion - to link the brand to the 60s Mod Movement.

Why? In Cape Town’s young professional market (which the brand aimed to target), the similarities to the 60s Mod Culture is undeniable. For instance, Mods had a self-conscious and critical attitude. They personalised existing styles and symbols (like the Royal Air Force roundel) in a pop art fashion. Elements that classified this group of hip youngsters, included their fashion sense (they often wore tailor-made suits), pop music that jumped cultural boundaries, and Italian motor scooters (like Vespa).

This sounds like Cape Town to me. And that is what I wanted to represent with this brand, a wine that is as unique as the Capetonians who purchase it.

The pay-off line, Nothing short of a Revolution, pays homage to the rebellious style of the Mods, while complimenting Cape Town’s cunning sense of individuality.

 

 

 

It's a culture

I’ve always been kind of addicted to coffee. When we were given our Specialist Assignment in college, we had the option of working on any brand we wanted to. I chose Seattle Coffee Company, as it was my preferred coffee shop at the time.

I decided to use the pay-off line, It’s a Culture, to communicate Seattle Coffee Company as a place for the coffee connoisseur - a place of real culture that is not phased with the plastic notion of being trendy.

Exclusive Books and Seattle Coffee Company shops are often linked or in close proximity, which I feel gives substance to my concept.

 

 

There is drama in every fact

I like to know stuff. 

It might have something to do with my appreciation of Tom Waits, the peculiar insight he has about things that most people often overlook. Read an interview with the man, and you’ll be amazed as well.

When I received a brief in college for the History Channel, it is that sort of yearning for seldom talked about knowledge that inspired me to find the drama in every fact.

History isn’t boring, if you think about it: when historical events were taking place, it had to be exciting! It’s that excitement that I wanted to portray.

I believe my pay-off line hits the nail on the head, There is drama in every fact.