Debonairs Pizza’s commercial spoofing the interaction between a Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer and the man who attempted to embarrass her on social media (and failed) has been released onto South Africa’s airwaves.
The officer became an overnight celebrity when, instead of becoming angry as the man filmed her while she cited him for allegedly jumping a red robot, she egged him on, laughing at his comments and refusing to take his objections seriously.
FCB Johannesburg suggested its client, Debonairs Pizza, capitalise on the fact that the interaction was trending on social media to draw attention to its Real Deal offer.
The creative team, consisting of creative director Gareth Paul, copywriter Mukondeleli Ralushayi, and art director Nkgabiseng Motau, devised a 30-second radio commercial that suggests the Johannesburg resident was driving irresponsibly because he was hurrying to Debonairs to take advantage of its Real Deal pizzas for R19.90.
Recorded using voice-over artists, it features similar background noises and comments as the original, and launched on social media on Friday, 11 September.
“The furore around the social media posts of the resident’s argument with the officer and subsequent attempts to apologise over social media has had many South Africans in stitches,” says FCB executive business director, Mike Di Terlizzi.
“We wanted to use the fact that the interaction had been watched by nearly a million people on Youtube, that it was so well known, newspapers were writing about it and radio stations talking about it, and that some of the officer’s comments were being used in daily conversation – such as ‘my father’s never seen me on TV’ – to grab the country’s attention,” says Terlizzi.
Debonairs Pizza marketing executive, Toni Joubert, added: “The interaction was a slice of South African life, and tapping into that is relevant for Debonairs Pizza as a home-grown South African brand. We’re delighted to be using our advertising to celebrate South Africa’s diverse society and the amazing characters we come across every day.”
In keeping with the fact that social media drove the pair’s fame, the spoof commercial will be posted to online and radio stations.
Listen to the spoof here, and watch the original video here.
For more information, visit www.debonairspizza.co.za. Alternatively connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.