Branded Entertainment in South Africa is very much in its infancy as a result of the fact that we consume far more international content than we create for ourselves.The opportunity to integrate brands into entertainment is therefore either limited or, when it is done, is often not aligned to the brand strategy.As is the case in most countries, there are restrictions on alcohol advertising in South Africa, but through the effective use of innovative branded entertainment, we managed to initiate deeper engagement with the brand than would be allowed on traditional TV stations.

Carling Black Label wanted to leverage their upcoming involvement in soccer sponsorship and content creation and use it as a way to attract new consumers. The brief asked for an unconventional solution instead of executing a generic soccer sponsorship package.Our approach was informed by an insight we uncovered in research: South African soccer fans felt that they knew their teams better than anyone else, but their cries from the stands, couches and living rooms had always fallen on deaf ears.So, Carling Black Label rewarded soccer fans by giving them the chance to use their mobile phones to vote for the players that would take to the field in the televised Carling Black Label Cup between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. Using a unique underliner code, they could literally Be the Coach by selecting the players and making a live substitution on the day of the game. They could make this live substitution whether they were watching the Carling Black Label Cup in the stadium, or live on TV.The Carling Black Label Cup changed the way a game of soccer is played and, at the same time, brought the brand property of reward to life for anyone participating as a coach in the Carling Black Label Cup.The effectiveness of the campaign was maximised by utilising a wide range of channels including TV, PR, Radio, Press, Digital, Mobile, On Pack advertising and Point of Sale to drive participation in the build-up to the televised soccer match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

The audience was drawn to and engaged with the 'making of' the content over an 8-week promotional period leading up to the content being aired on national TV.We initiated the conversation in TV, Digital, Press, PR, Radio, On-pack and POS and ensured that an audience of millions of South Africans were actively taking part in the creation of the branded entertainment for a period that was far greater than the actual exposure time on TV.Media owners also took the campaign idea and independently promoted it to their audiences on their own platforms.

Over 80,000 fans watched the Carling Black Label Cup live in Johannesburg's World Cup Stadium - with millions more watching on national TV.We received 10.5m votes over a 7 week promotional period.78% of the fans engaged with the campaign more than once.82% of the votes came from a new target audience for Carling Black Label.The campaign generated over $12.2m of P.R. for the brand.Carling Black Label saw strong growth in a declining beer market.