It should have been a surprise that the Sunday Times last weekend contained 10 full page and 16 smaller advertisements in honour of the late Nelson Mandela, given his passing on Thursday evening, and the deadlines of newspapers to ensure their distribution in the early hours of Sunday morning.  It was interesting to evaluate corporate South Africa’s response, in their advertisements, to the passing of our country’s greatest leader, most quoting the wisdom of Madiba in their tributes to him.

Given the two days in which ad agencies had to book their clients’ advertisements, it is clear that they could not have created them in such a short time period, given lead times to conceptualise the ad, obtain client approval, and to produce the material.  It is clear that the major corporates had their farewell ads to Madiba prepared and mothballed for the announcement of his passing.

The most touching and most genuine advertisement, in our opinion, is the one by Nando’s, demonstrating the power of consistency in advertisement layout and typeface, recognisable to any South African without its logo or branding.  The most disgusting of all the ads is that by funeral organisers AVBOB, depicting Madiba in daisies, and shouting its pay-off line ‘We’re here for you’!

Pick ‘n Pay’s advertising disappointed, with three full page advertisements in last Sunday’s edition, the one on page 12 in the main body being a crass ‘Price Cuts’ one, amidst the remaining ads all being tributes to Madiba.  Pick ‘n Pay and the media department of its ad agency could have done a better job in planning the placements, requesting its tribute ad in this slot, and its special offer ad in other sections of the paper.  Cynically one could think that the retailer purposely capitalised on the above average readership of the paper last weekend!  Only on page 29 of section 3 of the Sunday Times does the company pay tribute to Madiba, with a photograph of the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg with the headline ‘Rest in the peace you gave us.’  On the following page it has a ‘Be an Angel’ ad, requesting that one help ‘feed someone this Christmas’.

Other full page advertisements were those by

• Nedbank (‘A Tribute to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, The Children’s Champion’) and linked to it being a ‘proud partner’ of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund
• South African Breweries, the only double page spread, (‘Forever a legend, forever in our hearts’) but with a most boring execution to illustrate Madiba’s personal life, education, political career, and incarceration.
• Embarrassingly for the two businesses, ABSA/Barclays and MTN used the same words in their ads (‘Lala ngoxolo Tata’).  This was followed in the ABSA ad by ‘You’ve left behind a nation inspired by hope. Rest peacefully. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’.   With a burning candle, it seemed less corporate and more human.  The wording in the MTN ad was preceded by ‘The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement’.
• Standard Bank, a boring ad in blue type, with no photograph of Madiba, but with prominent bank branding, hardly appropriate.
• The most unusual ad was a brown sepia look one by Edcon, with low key Edgars, CNA and Jet branding, being a ‘Tribute to a man who changed lives. Millions of them’.  It highlights the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Mr Mandela in 1993, and his election in 1994.
• Anglo American’s indulgent full page ad simply said: ‘A Moment of Silence’.
• LONMIN used a text only full page advertisement: ‘Thank you for changing the world Madiba. We’ll continue to be the catalyst for change’
• KFC crowed “Hamba Kahle Tata. You’ve made us all one family’
• General Electric (GE)’s ad said ‘A Beacon of Hope, a true gentle giant. Hamba Kahle Tata’
• Samsung’s ad quoted Madiba: ’For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others’.

Those with a lesser budget, affording only half page ads, were Coca Cola (‘The purpose of freedom is to create it for others’); Browns diamond store, with an excellent placement on page 3 (‘Finally, one man closed his eyes so that the rest of us could open ours’; Vodacom in cheap black and white rather than its corporate red (‘Vodacom joins the nation as we grieve the sad passing of our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Madiba, Tata, Father, Peacemaker. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time’); Cell C (‘When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace’);  SASOL (‘Siyabonga Tata Madiba. Hamba Kahle’);  a boring ‘Chevron salutes Madiba’.;  SAA (‘May you rest in the peace you gave us’);  The Foschini Group (abbreviated as TFG), listing all 18 companies in the group, has its CEO Doug Murray say ‘Thank you, Nelson Mandela’;  the most striking advertisement in its simplicity and lack of branding is that by British American Tobacco South Africa, given that cigarette companies are not allowed to advertise – the ad contains a photograph of the ‘Legacy Canvas’ with handprints in different colours, which hangs in its head office; half the Toyota ad is unreadable, only one line and the company name being legible in red: ’95 years of Courage, Integrity, and Compassion. May your legacy and inspiration live forever. Condolences to Madiba’s family, friends, and the South African nation’;  PUTCO ‘s Chairman Dr Anna Mokgokong said ‘Thank you Madiba’;  the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University wrote: ‘Lala ngoxolo, Tata. We are so proud to carry your name. Vaarwel’;  distasteful is the heavily branded Italtile and CTM ‘Our Tribute to Former President Nelson Mandela’ advertisement;  the Independent Electorate Commission (IEC) said ‘Hamba Kakuhle, Tata. Your legacy lives on’; Thebe Investment Corporation wrote a heavily worded boring ‘A Tribute to Madiba’; and Macsteel founder Eric Samson expressed his company’s condolences.

A 20 page advertisement-free supplement in honour of Madiba by Times Media Limited was inserted into the Sunday Times.

No doubt the Sunday Times will be jam packed with even more advertisements paying tribute to the late Nelson Mandela tomorrow, with additional ads by those companies that did not have their tribute advertisement prepared in advance!

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Twitter: @WhaleCottage

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