McCann Erickson South Africa launches telco 8.ta with “Emoticon” campaign

GLOBAL, JANUARY 2011 – McCann Erickson South Africa launched the multi media "Emoticon" campaign for mobile network 8.ta, exceeding targets in record time. 

The print pre-launch campaign consisted of aerial photography by renowned international photographer Michael Poliza showed "Heita" in the landscape of the large-scale newspaper ads. The newspaper campaign was designed to break out of the mold of stereotypical press advertising with headlines, pictures and logos. South Africa’s biggest selling Sunday paper, The Sunday Times, featured a new masthead which shouted out, "Heita South Africa".


"Our intention was to make it appear as if the whole land was preparing for something new and big, and the imagery we chose from Michael’s collection perfectly met our objectives," according to the McCann Erickson press release. 

8.ta comes from the South African township street greeting "Heita", meaning "hello", pronounced and spoken as "Aytaah!"

An unlikely ensemble cast from aliens to white colonialists, trapped in odd situations, greeted the nation in the pre-launch television commercials shot by South African uber director, Keith Rose. This was followed by the main brand ad for 8.ta titled “Emoticon” which focuses on Emoticons as two characters who meet and share a connection.

Finally the launch took place of the country’s fourth legitimate mobile network. An explosion of excitement and more media commentary ensued.

8.ta, powered by Telkom, reached 300,000 subscribers in a month and a half.

"We had created something rather fitting for a cellular network. We had got people talking," says Vanessa Pearson, Executive Creative Director, McCann Erickson South Africa.

CREDITS

Advertising Agency: McCann Erickson, Johannesburg, South Africa

Production Company: Velocity

Director: Keith Rose

Executive Creative Director : Vanessa Pearson

Art Director (Group Head): Sean Harrison

Copywriter (Group Head): Tim Beckerling

Copywriter: Peet Englebrecht

DOP: Keith Rose

Executive Producer: Peter Carr

Producer: Grant Davies

Editor: Ricky Boyd

Photographer: Michael Polizia