Earlier this month, Vodacom revealed their Summer campaign for 2022. Over the past few years, the annual Vodacom Summer campaign has become part of the festive season tradition in South Africa. This year, in the wake of Covid-19 restrictions, it has taken on a new mechanism, inviting lockdown-weary South Africans to Unlock Summer – as well as fantastic prizes in the form of data bundles, airtime, discount vouchers, bill settlement vouchers, free data for a year, cash prizes, scooters and even three Kia Rio cars.
“Summer is our biggest promotional campaign. It really is one of the most exciting ones and we’re looking forward to giving away great prizes to our customers,” says Thami Majola, Executive Head of Brand for Vodacom. “This year is the most exciting Summer proposition. We’re unlocking summer, moving away from shaking. Our customers are going to be unlocking a lot of prizes – they’re going to unlock a lot of rewards, they’re even going to unlock cars this year, so we’re really excited about this year’s proposition.”
How It Works
Vodacom customers can Unlock Summer through the latest version of the My Vodacom app, the VodaPay app or by dialling *133# on their phones. By swiping to play in the app or following the prompts on their phone, they get access to daily Summer deals and chances to win.
Feeling Nostalgic A big theme of the Unlock Summer campaign, which comes across in the TV ad, is the nostalgia of togetherness. The ad hops between scenes of South Africans coming together as a family, at a pool party, at a sporting match, on the beach and in other settings that once were so familiar, but have been conspicuously absent over the past two summer seasons.
“The fact that we are coming off such a tough period is an inspiration – a lot of people have experienced different levels of difficulty and with summer coming, there’s something hopeful about it,” says Nkgabiseng Motau, Chief Creative Officer at Think Creative.
Soundtrack to Summer
Of course, what is summer without a summer anthem? “Our big track is really what’s going to take Summer to the next level,” says Majola. The track in question: record-shattering, chart-topping ‘Osama’ by legendary local artist Zakes Bantwini featuring Kasango.
Speaking at the staff launch for the Unlock Summer campaign, Zakes once again emphasised the significance of togetherness as a theme for the campaign. He said his favourite thing about shooting the TV ad was seeing people coming together – and that he was proud to have his work associated with a symbol of unlocking the South African spirit after it had been locked down for such a long time: “The fact that everyone was just there and happy – it was a true sense of what South Africa is,” he said. “I’m really glad that I’m part of such a huge campaign.”
Pulling It All Together
The Unlock Summer campaign took nine months to create, from conceptualisation to launch. The concept was developed internally, incorporating customer feedback from previous Summer campaigns. For the execution, Vodacom worked with VMLY&R. “It was an amazing challenge,” says VMLY&R Business Unit Director Alex White, who led the campaign on the agency side. “Pulling this campaign together using a tried-and-tested formula that the team at Vodacom already had meant that we got off on the right foot. We worked with an awesome director who brought a new technique to the way we filmed and shot out ad. Being able to do something massive, working with incredible people and having great support from the Vodacom team has made something really special.”
Find out more at Vodacom.co.za.
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