House of Brave is Brave Group’s full-service advertising brand specialist agency.
Shot during lockdown, the Nation Inspiration Campaign, proactively pitched by Vanessa Pearson, executive creative director at Brave Group, stemmed from the fact that during Covid-19, South Africa had lost its momentum. In the midst of a pandemic, a stalled economy, and a nation gripped by fear and anxiety, it was expected that South Africa would be deflated when the lockdown lifted.
“A lot of brands were speaking about Covid-19, the lockdown, this new normal that we all had to contend with, but no brand was talking to South Africans about how we could maintain our sense of momentum. We wanted Momentum to be the brand that inspires SA to gain back its momentum.”
The #2020TwoPoint0 campaign reminds South Africa of its irrepressible spirit, even when the rest of the world told us to cancel and write off the year entirely. But the Momentum team was not writing anything off. Through a combination of film, print, and online, the campaign launched its hashtag #2020TwoPoint0 and encouraged South Africans to join the movement on social media.
Pearson continues: “We saw this as an opportunity to bring a new perspective and vision into the conversation. To make the year remembered not just for Covid-19, but for the opportunity it gave us to do things differently, and better. Rather than wishing that 2020 was history, we wanted to help make history in 2020.”
“So we launched a movement called 2020.2.0. It’s a passionate movement to make 2020 a success story, and for South Africans to share their experiences and stories of hope, strength and achievement to inspire all of us. We believe that South Africa is unstoppable, and that’s what we wanted to show.”
Having been in more than 100 days of lockdown, unity and solidarity among South Africans haven’t been this strong for the last 26 years. Nontokozo Madonsela, Group CMO at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings, says the idea behind 2020TwoPoint0 is to find a way to encourage and celebrate a new momentum in a time when cynicism and negativity threaten to swallow us whole.
She says: “With half the year gone, we face the prospect of starting over. As they say in sport, the game is not over until the final whistle blows. Our 2020 game continues into the second half; we have an opportunity to start afresh – to bring a fresh attitude and energy to our lives. Let’s put into practise what we’ve learnt and make 2020 really count.”
Madonsela says that Momentum is putting its money where its mouth is from a marketing perspective, having reset and reframed their entire 2020 marketing strategy. “It’s the only way to get the most out of this year and we hope to inspire our clients and broader audiences to do the same,” she says.
Charlotte Nsubuga-Mukasa, head of marketing Momentum Brand, believes that all South Africans have the power to reset, reframe and reimagine their lives despite the odds. “We understand the seriousness of this pandemic and know that many people from all walks of life are having a really tough time, but we can still turn disappointment into opportunity this year.”
She says: “We want #2020TwoPoint0 to become the rallying cry for all South Africans to use their new momentum to create a better reality. We’ve shown how, under pressure, our best selves come to the fore. In our business, we have seen teams pivot their plans and strategies – showing what is possible with the right mindset. Now let’s show how we can keep that momentum growing as our journey into the second half of 2020 continues. And we want to help South Africans to get the most out of the last part of the year.
The campaign is now in full swing, and all South Africans are urged to become part of the revised, reframed and reimagined 2020: #2020TwoPoint0.
Follow the campaign on Brave Group’s website and social pages at Brave Group and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Credits:
House of Brave:
Vanessa Pearson – Executive Creative Director
Ilze Sobiech – Creative Director
Eoin Welsh – Senior Copywriter
Michelle Lyne – TV Producer
Thandi Mphahlele – Group Account Director
Nicholas Bastiaanse-Burger – Senior Account Director
Noxolo Greaver – Account Manager
They Films:
Alan Irvin – Director
Darren Gordon – Executive Producer
Peta Sacke – Line Producer
