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et ADVERTISING&MARKETINGT O N Y K O E N D E R M A N

tony k@finweek.c o. za

STINGSFEMININEMYSTERIESADVERT IS ING FEM IN IN Ehygiene products can betricky, especially as you can'tensure only those in themarket for them are exposedto the ad. But animation cre-ates an arm's-length feelingthat helps overcome awk-wardness.

In this 15-second com-mercial for Lifestylefeminineproducts by productionhouse Tennant McKay,twogirls dive off a high boardinto a pool. One comes upimmaculate, swimming capand goggles in place. Theother is a mess, having losther cap, her hair dishevelled- and, embarrassingly, herfemi ine hygiene productfloa -'1gon the water. "Pro-teGio'l is nothing withoutI" ~'J1Sthe payoff line. - ~ e pads mould to

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SUSTAINABILlTY

Green agencyopensOgilvyEarth aims to change SA'sfilthy habits

SUSTAINABILITY may cost a bit at the start buteventually it pays off in spades. That's the mes-sage of OgilvyEarth, the environmentalist "com-munications practice" ("agency" to you) whichhas opened in South Africa. It's starting under theumbrella of Zoom, Ogilvy's retail agency - notbecause it's retail-focused but because Zoom is anactive environmental protagonist.

OgilvyEarth was started in Australia and sinceits global launch two years ago has spread to adozen countries. It's an idea whose time has come,says global president of OgilvyEarth and MD ofOgilvy & Mather Worldwide, Seth Farbman. "ButI also hope its time will pass. Our ultimate goalis to make sustainability so ingrained in the mar-keting and innovation process that it no longerrequires deep specialty practices."Farbman says he "couldn't be prouder of the

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progress and results of OgilvyEarth. We wererecently named the top sustainability commu-nications agency by Verdantix, a well-regardedsustainability research group. And OgilvyEarthhas grown rapidly, as more and more clients rec-ognise the need for specialist knowledge in sucha dynamic field."

Though the financial collapse of 2008 tookpeople's eye off the environment, it also madethem realise the collapse was partly attributable tobusiness non-sustainability, says Zoom executivecreative director Deon Robbertze. Consequently,awareness of environmental problems is growingas the evidence of past neglect becomes impos-sible to deny. "If we're not sustainable on a planetwith 6bn people, how much worse off will we bein 2050, when the population is 9bn?"

Robbertze concedes he has a mountain ofapathy to climb in SA, although in some respectswe're ahead of Western countries. ImpoverishedAfricans tend to re-use waste materials, turning alength of wire into a toy or plastic packaging intoplace mats. But there's still a lot of litter ...

"The new sustainable economy can createjobs," he says. "Although sustainable options cancost money initially, over the long term they'llsave money and leaders in sustainability will earnenormous credit with the public."Green-washing is a problem. "People get bom-barded with claims. But in the age of transparen-cy, the consumer can find out anything about yourbrand - so you can't get away with it for ever."

Robbertze's business targets look achievable."Within a year we want four medium-sized cli-ents. Currently, the unit is part of Zoom but whenit's proved its viability it could spin off as a sepa-rate agency. We're running a tight ship and I'mworking on both agencies."

The primary pitch is legacy-based. "What kindof world are you leaving to your children?"

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._ 0 5 & ANSWERS WITH SETHFARBMAN

ear of the Igreen wash'PAnTI - no longer the biggest challengecmz emironmental marketing - "Green-ashinz false claiming) is. "Even inad-tent mar eting claims that overstate a

rodu "5 sustainability destroy consumerust," says Seth Farbman, globarCEO ofgilvyliarth. "Once consumer confidencelost, we risk losing all the progress of theast decade,"In South Africa to launch the agency andeak at a conference, Farbman answered

uestio about sustainability marketing.w important is sustainability?ltimately, sustainability allows steady,nendinz growth - economic and social -y recognising the limitations of resourcesd working within them. Sustainabilityelivers a world where we no longer mustccept the false choice between a risinguality of life today and an environmentat can sustain it tomorrow.wemake a difference?really don't have a choice. There's only

so much oil, waterand air. The Unit-ed States alreadyhas the technol-ogy (more efficientappliances and"cars, better insulation, etc) to reduce energyuse by 40% - without consumers having tomake a sacrifice.Is public apathy still a problem?Public apathy will always be a problem,but it's our job as marketers to make peopleunderstand why they should care.Does the public dismiss sustainability asa marketing gimmick?There certainly is some "green fatigue"after the past few years of constant sus-tainability marketing. But consumers havealso become much more educated, and areeven more loyal to companies that marketauthentically and honestly.

For a fuller report of this interview,please go to www.fin24.comIAdReview .

BRANDINGOrange squeezedFRENCH-GERMAN mobile network opera-tor Orange has lost a court battle with aSouth African company that refused to bebullied into changing its name. Orange hadbeen pressurising local businesses to stopusing the word or the colour" orange" intheir names, but accounting software com-pany Orangeworks has won the right tothe name. "I just felt very strongly we hadto fight for our rights as a South Africancompany that was being bullied by a multi-national," says CEOSiegfried Rousseau.

The Registrarof TradeMarkstold thecourt the products and servicesoffered bythe companies were sufficientlydissimilarthatconsumers wouldn't be confused. The courttherefore upheld Orangeworks' right to con-tinue trading under the name and awardedit costs, which, says Rousseau, amounted to"several hundred thousand rand".

Rousseau says changing the colour"wouldn't have been the end of the world"but he felt strongly about being bullied.

P O lO K O M O FO K EN GFo r a fu ll report, p le as e visit ww w.fin24.com/AdReview

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23 SEPTEMBER 2010 FINWEEK 67