Kartrionae Madondo-Ossai: Digital & Strategy Director
With the year coming to a colossal end, I cannot help but look in retrospect to the past events. Successes, challenges and everything in between. Everyone at the office agrees that this was “one of those years” that we will gladly close the chapter of the book to. However challenging as it might have been, the book certainly held some true life lessons and prepared us to fight it out. Through it all and in true Ogilvy ‘red blood’ style, we remained strong. Let’s take a look and celebrate the year that was.
We kickstarted the new year with some good news when we landed the Namibia Medical Aid Fund (Nammed) account early on in February. Getting an opportunity to reposition and transform this ‘caregiver’ brand in the market, our minds got busy at carving the brand story in the hearts of the Namibian audience. This was definitely a ‘pet project’ that left us thinking more about the gift of life and the role medical aid plays in sustaining it. I’m just grateful to be a member!
April started as the joke that it usually is. We decided to prank our ‘hardline’ Carling Black Label fans, with an April Fool’s day ‘joke’. A simple post that was to ‘churn’ everyone’s taste buds, announced that Carling Black Label would release a ‘Grape flavor’. The whole Southern African region was in an instant uproar. Replace the usual ‘Carling Black Label’ “label” with a purple ‘grape-like’ label, and get over a million organic impressions, 11 000+ comments and increased engagement of over 150 000%! Top it off with an increased fan base of 34%. You are sure to get a notable thumbs up from the AB InBev Head Quarters. We set the benchmark for their regional digital agencies. They loved it, we loved it, and ironically our hardline fans actually loved the idea of a grape flavor too! No sour grapes from both ends there!
While we were still in the month that kept on giving, April saw us ‘draped in diamonds’ at the Mining Expo as Namdia scooped the Diamond award for ‘The Best Stand’. Well done team!
William Shakespeare once wrote;
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them”
Well, so true was the latter when we landed the Nedbank account. One of the industry’s most sought-after accounts that would make many go green with envy, became part of our family in May and kickstarted a great relationship with a client! A banking account and one so amiable as Nedbank… Ka-ching- We scored on that!
Fast forward literally in high speed to August, and we were cruising and celebrating this new ‘Vrrrrr pah’ account. Enter Pupkewitz Haval – the new kid on the block that’s making such waves in the market. The brainchild of this creative, yours truly Osho! This has to be one of my favorite creative executions of the year. We kicked off a lead generation campaign that is racking in the numbers for the client and oh baby, is this making a big statement!
Another highlight of the year was definitely winning the NamPost account. Soon after Pupkewitz Haval, we were pulling all nighter’s working hard on the NamPost pitch! Sometimes the best creative ideas come at the brink of the last moments. The adrenaline …aaaa…. I swear the creative life is just one ginormous dose of dopamine ecstacy after the other. One day before we presented, we cracked the concept – did a photoshoot and got the client roaring with laughter and tickled their fancy with a kick-a** strategy and might I add, a damn good ‘Big IdeaL’. Stuff that Ogilvy dreams are made of. No need to say more about this one, It’s really going to be disruptive. We will keep you posted on this!
As it turns out, the year was pretty packed with achievements despite the austerity surrounding the micro and macro market. So much to tell with so little space and time. I could go on but surely these are just some of the best highlights of 2019 for the business
We keep on progressing with thanks to trusted and supportive clients and partners as yourself! May 2020 be truly inspiring and break new grounds for your every endeavor! Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!
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