Carling: Case study

Credits & Description:

Brand: Carling Black Label
Agency: Ogilvy Cape Town

OGILVY CAPE TOWN Cape Town, South Africa Entrant Company
OGILVY CAPE TOWN Cape Town, South Africa Idea Creation
BLACK GINGER Cape Town, South Africa Production
DELIVERANCE POST PRODUCTION Cape Town, South Africa Production
VIDEO CARTEL Cape Town, South Africa Production
THE WORKROOM Cape Town, South Africa Production
0307 FILMS Cape Town, South Africa Production
OGILVY CAPE TOWN Cape Town, South Africa PR
AB-INBEV AFRICA Johannesburg, South Africa PR
AUDIO MILITIA Johannesburg, South Africa Additional Company
Pete Case Ogilvy South Africa Creative Direction
Tseliso Rangaka, Nicholas Wittenberg Ogilvy Cape Town Creative Direction
Alexis Leih, Katie James, Matthew Richardson, Lubabalo Ngonzo Ogilvy Cape Town Account Management
Justin Enderstein Ogilvy Cape Town Art Direction
Jenna Smith Ogilvy Cape Town Writer
Jean-Pierre De Villiers Ogilvy Cape Town Art Direction
Cathy Day, Claudia Hall Ogilvy Cape Town Producer
Rory O' Grady 0307 Films Cinematography
Kim Geldenhys 0307 Films Direction
Gordon Midgley Deliverance Editor
Luke Apteker Video Cartel Editor
Marc Angranti The Workroom Music and Sound Composer
Jo Barber 0307 Films Producer
Riordan Allen Video Cartel Direction
Ndu Donsa Ogilvy Cape Town Strategist
Awie Erasmus Ogilvy Cape Town Strategist
Short Synopsis:
The campaign tackled the issue of gender based abuse rates spiking after football games. The creative team addressed the number 1 “excuse” for this behaviour, being alcohol by leveraging Carling’s sponsorship of the country’s two largest football teams– armed with only a song.
As part of this powerful initiative a choir of mothers and daughters entered the field just before kick-off and hijacked SA’s national football anthem. Half way through, they changed the lyrics to highlight the issue of the abuse of women.
The campaign bolstered South Africa’s call for social change by transforming a traditional Zulu struggle song, which was initially reappropriated by the football nation into a new anthem about gender based violence.

Entry Summary
Gender-based violence is currently a hot topic in the media and has been a growing social issue in South Africa. Despite constitutional protections, gender-based violence remains persistent and widespread in South Africa.
The song we used (and then changed) is the most popular football song in South Africa. It’s essentially the national soccer anthem and is sung at every soccer game before kick-off, and then throughout the game. The song was originally a struggle song, which was reappropriated by this football nation to support and encourage their sporting heroes. Even those who don’t understand the Zulu words sing along. At least until we changed the lyrics to speak to the issue of gender based violence.
Brief Explanation
South Africa’s already horrifying abuse rates spike after football games, and the number 1 excuse is alcohol. As SA’s biggest beer brand, Carling Black Label targeted the biggest soccer event of the year and leveraged our sponsorship of the country’s two largest football teams to share a message that couldn’t go unheard – armed with only a song. We had a choir of mothers and daughters enter the field just before kick-off and hijack SA’s national football anthem. Half way through, they changed the lyrics to highlight the issue of women abuse.