The much-awarded Ster-Kinekor and Vision Mission #OpenEyes campaign has received yet another global honour. This time it is in the form of a Bronze Pencil, announced last night (10 May), at the prestigious 44th One Show Awards that took place at Cipriani Wall Street in New York.
Nominated as a Finalist in two categories, Branded Entertainment and Public Relations, Ster-Kinekor and its creative agency FoxP2 Cape Town, were awarded for the heart-warming CSI campaign that saw a young man, Philani Twala, from Katlehong on the East Rand, receive a double corneal transplant – and a second chance to live his best life.
The agency received the Bronze Pencil in the Public Relations – Brand Voice category, in which a combination of verbal, visual, emotional and other tools are engaged to tell a brand’s narrative and to maintain and increase engagement. The campaign also received a Merit Award in the Branded Entertainment: Film / Cinema – Non-Fiction/Documentary category.
“This global acknowledgement of our #OpenEyes campaign is a huge honour for the marketing team at Ster-Kinekor Theatres, and our creative agency, FoxP2, together with Ogilvy Public Relations JHB and Juice Content, whose integrated collaboration on this project resulted in this award-winning work,” says Motheo Matsau, Chief of Marketing and Sales at Ster-Kinekor Theatres.
The 2016 #OpenEyes campaign told Philani’s story – for the past 10 years, he had been suffering from an eye condition that had made him almost completely blind. However, he could not afford the treatment to restore his vision – a costly double corneal transplant.
The #OpenEyes campaign followed Philani’s emotional and uplifting journey to regain his sight, following the sponsored operations. It then called on all South Africans to share in his journey by nominating the film he should watch as his first ever, big screen cinema experience.
The #OpenEyes campaign forms part of Ster-Kinekor’s CSI programme Vision Mission, a dedicated programme focused on healthy eye care in children. Moviegoers can opt in and donate to the programme when booking tickets online or at the cinemas’ self-service terminals.
Matsau adds: “The #OpenEyes campaign placed another side of the movie industry in the spotlight: a side that focuses on the importance of healthy eyesight and vision as essential senses to appreciate the magic of the big screen. The campaign certainly got South Africans talking and voting for their favourite film for Philani to watch, while creating awareness for a plight that affects thousands of other ‘Philani’s’ across our country.”
The campaign recorded 50 million online impressions with an earned media figure of more than R14 million, more than twenty times the campaign budget. Twala was featured on the front page of The Star newspaper, among numerous print and online articles, and appeared on SABC News, Talk Radio 702 and Cape Talk, to mention a few broadcast platforms. During the campaign period, donations to Vision Mission increased by a staggering 60%.
The One Show is one of the most prestigious awards competitions in advertising, design, interactive and branded entertainment. Judged every year by top industry professionals, Gold, Silver and Bronze Pencils are awarded as symbols of creative excellence.
