It was a first: an advertisement flighted simultaneously on all four channels. And it cost millions. Hazel Friedman watched the advert which brought mysticism to the concrete industry
Strange, inexplicable sightings have been known to take place on the SABC from time-to- time. But nothing could rival the image onslaught that hit viewers during prime-time viewing last Sunday night.
At precisely 7.55pm, SABC1, 2, 3 and M-Net performed an unprecedented feat by flighting the identical commercial simultaneously.
Now this was not one of those average, financially constipated 30-second ads promoting the aphrodisiacal powers of cheese chunks. This was a commercial that could have been used to promote the Second Coming. And the fact that the two-minute extravaganza had nothing to do with religion — unless you attach mystical meaning to a cement-mixing company — did not detract from its splendour.
Directed by Guy Bragge of Cinergy — an intrepid production company owned by David Elton — the ad is the first in series of media promotions announcing the merger of Anglo Alpha Cement, Pioneer Ready-Mixed Concrete and Hippo Quarries under the Greek classical name of Alpha.
This meeting of corporate minds signifies the “cementing” of three separate companies under a single rubric, reflecting a growing trend towards brand-building in the face of deregulation and heightened competition.
It also suggests that the cement cartel is casting off its conservative image in exchange for a bolder, more upbeat look. Although Sunday’s flighting was a one-off event, ad- mongers can still catch an abridged version of the original by Framptons International ad agency on television as well as a series of ads in the print media over the next few weeks.
It is also the first time that an ad of this duration has been flighted on local television and on all four channels at once. And it might just signify a new trend in big-budget advertising with ad agencies opting for similar long and hard-sell strategies; that is, if their clients can afford it.
Present rates for television advertising can reach R250 000 for a 45 second commercial. Anglo’s two-minute ad hit the whopping million rand mark. And examining the logistics of the production, it doesn’t take a degree in astro- physics to understand why. Filmed over eight days in locations ranging from a deserted factory in Johannesburg to a salt pan near Kimberley, – including a 2km convoy of tarpaulin-covered rucks over a 400km journey to the Northern Cape, the commercial was organised with the precision of a military manoeuvre.
“Which is exactly what it became”, says Bragg, who embarked on countrywide reconnaissance missions in search of the ideal location. “Miraculously the shoot went exactly as planned, down to the final detail. We had to work with 160 extras, excluding the production crew, 40 trucks travelling in convoy, two helicopters and three cameras.” He adds: “The whole process was like painting a canvas — a team effort that transformed an army manoeuvre into an incredibly creative process.
And teamwork is the concept behind the commercial. A mix of epic and extravaganza, the ad paints a picture of a team committed to unity, nation-building and the Reconstruction and Development Programme through slick editing techniques, an infectious jingle and some spectacular visuals.
Beginning on an understated note, it gradually gains momentum, increasing in tempo, until finally reaching a breast-beating crescendo of sight and sound.
Strange, isn’t it, that a merged cement cartel is portrayed as the Holy Trinity in a production of Wagnerian intensity. But that’s the power of advertising. To see a world in a grain of sand and a symphony in a speck of cement.