Power to the People
May 15, 2007 - כ"ח אייר תשס"ז by admin
We’re continually having conversations across the agency about how to help our clients create experiences that ultimately go beyond advertising and marketing to give something valuable, meaningful and relevant back to the community.Here’s a wonderful story that takes this concept a little further, utilizing a simple outdoor billboard at the MC Weiler School in Alexandra Township on the North Eastern borders of Johannesburg.
Nedbank, a national financial services organization, and its agency (Net#work BBDO, one of our sister agencies within the Omnicom family) came up with an innovative idea – utilize the abundance of sunlight in South Africa to generate energy to give school children a hot meal every day. The school has over a 1,000 students and the majority of them receive their only meal of the day at the school – a hot meal that ensures they are focused and energized to reach their maximum potential at school.
Ms Flaki Ramothata, principal of the school, says that the power generated from the solar panels attached to the billboard is sufficient to run all the lights and fridges and provides hot water for their kitchens.
“This kind of communication is really close to my heart,” says Net#work BBDO’s Creative Chief Mike Schalit. “Why shouldn’t advertising, especially in SA, pioneer ways of putting something back into the community – even more so when it comes to outdoor billboards, the ugly duckling of advertising? Billboards are often seen as the biggest perpetrator of crimes against urban landscapes. Here’s our chance to lead the world in showing how we can convert urban pollution into urban renewal.”
