'Afrikaners is plesierig"… rocker Karen Zoid belted out lustily at the Pendoring Advertising Awards recently.
Indeed, as judge Leon Jacobs hailed this year's Pendoring winners as "some of the best in the competition's 14-year existence", there was more than enough reason to celebrate when the best Afrikaans advertising recently strutted its stuff.
"It's as if a fresh breeze of creative excellence has blown through the Afrikaans advertising landscape," Jacobs said.
Not surprisingly, in an advertising environment increasingly dominated by English, Afrikaans-speaking creatives not only have to prove their mettle in their second language, but they do so admirably, garnering many top awards. A case in point is overall Pendoring winner Joe Public. Boasting a number of Afrikaans-speakers, the agency's creative team walked away with a bag of Loeries earlier this year.
So, whenever the opportunity arises to conceptualise and create in their home language, their work not only displays creative excellence comparable to the best in the world, but their fresh, earthy and entertaining advertising also hits home with the target audience.
And this is precisely where the problem lies: too often, marketers miss the point about the importance of mother-tongue advertising.
Says Sarel du Plessis, CEO of Ads24 and a Pendoring sponsor: "All too often, marketers blindly believe that because Afrikaans-speakers can and will speak, read and accept English, they no longer need to advertise in Afrikaans … Nonsense! Rubbish!
"In fact, if it was true, then the Afrikaans market would long since have stopped buying Rapport, Beeld, Die Burger, Volksblad, Huisgenoot, Sarie etc. They buy these newspapers and magazines precisely because they hold dear their home language and mother tongue. Sure, many Afrikaans-speakers understand English, read English, speak English, but when it comes to marketing messages, they're not only far more receptive to communication in their own language, but they're more willing to connect to that brand and open their wallets."
Adds Joe Public creative director Liezl Mari-Long, who, along with executive creative director Pepe Marais, was instrumental in the agency's sterling Pendoring performance this year: "Speaking to people in their own language is indeed a sure way of connecting with them. The Afrikaans-speaking community is extremely passionate and patriotic, not to mention affluent - but this insight is often overlooked. I believe there is a huge opportunity for marketers to capitalise on this market."
Joe Public was awarded gold for its "Jantjie", "Naas" and "Noot vir Noot" Clover campaign in the newspaper category; gold in the magazine category for kalahari.net's "Tweedehandse Anatomie" and "Tweedehandse Raka", and gold in the category Original Afrikaans, again for kalahari.net's "Tweedehandse Raka".
According to Jacobs, Joe Public's work has moved the goalposts in Afrikaans advertising. "This agency was not only successful elsewhere with its English work, but has once again shown that groundbreaking work, which will make people sit up and take notice, can be created in Afrikaans."
Hot on Joe Public's heels was Baie-Lingual Blink Stefanus, of Stefanus Nel and Annette Nel. The agency won two gold Pendorings - for their radio advertisement "Kerk" for RSG's Sê wie? and, in conjunction with the agency 2Buffels Melkery, for Blink Stefanus in the category promotions/below the line campaign. 2Buffels Melkery also won a silver Pendoring in the design category.
Ogilvy (Joburg), Draftfcb (Joburg) and McCann Worldgroup each boasted a gold and silver Pendoring, while The President, Saatchi & Saatchi (Cape Town), Lowe Bull and Net#work BBDO each walked away with a gold Pendoring. TBWA Hunt Lascaris, Draftfcb (Cape Town), Black River FC and Grey SA each won a silver Pendoring.
In the student categories, North West University's Potchefstroom campus garnered the most trophies, bagging a gold Pendoring for alternative media and two golds in the category mixed-media campaign (through the line).
Vega The Brand Communication School won a gold Pendoring for its above-the-line entry "Fo*of", which was also crowned the overall student winner. AAA School of Advertising won a silver Pendoring in the advertising above the line category for the entry "Smoor- verlief".
Draftfcb executive creative director Francois de Villiers was awarded Pendoring's Legend Award for the impact his creative work has had on advertising. Klipdrift's popular "Vriendelike Frikkie" (Met Eish!) and Vodacom's "Yebo Gogo" campaigns are among his brainchildren.
Toyota's Hilux advertisement, "Boer", garnered the People's Choice Award, while Cinelle Swiegers received a special award as best performing artist for the TV ad "Shoeshanista" for Spitz.
"The awards not only acknowledge excellence in Afrikaans advertising, but play a bigger role on a subconscious level to cultivate Afrikaans with the right factual fertiliser as part of the larger South African advertising landscape," says Pendoring co-ordinator Dawid Brand.
He reckons the entire value chain should be schooled in the importance of Afrikaans advertising. "As 28% of the purchasing power remains in the hands of Afrikaans-speakers, marketers best take a fresh look at the language as an advertising vehicle. This is not about exclusivity. It \makes good economic sense. As times are tough, it may be necessary to prune, but also to plant in Afrikaans - to reap the fruits!" - Staff Reporter