According to MarkLive.com, the five '#AdOfTheYear2022' campaigns successfully tap into the South African zeitgeist and capture the humour, humanity and ability of South Africans to rise above our circumstances.

"Relevance and engagement are everything when it comes to advertising. Winning agencies in the future will be those who understand where humanity is at, and why culture and locality are critical to creating commercial work that engages," says Charles Mathews, advertising columnist for MarkLives.

Mathews adds, "Commercial work today needs to achieve business goals, and make a difference with customers and the teams who work on these brands."

Mathews says, "The world is changing rapidly, and the adverts selected for 2022 showcase this. They understand their place in commerce and culture, and they get that advertising needs to do a whole lot more than just take up space. Commercials need to work harder than ever before, and the work often needs to change human behaviour."

Mathews adds, "When we debated the best of the best, we looked for the difference makers — for the brands and creative teams who created real value for the brands they represented.”

Here are MarkLives' top five (starting from number five and working downward to number one) South African ads for 2022:

Number five: FNB's 'Change needs you'

Grid Worldwide and Darling Films
FNB's 'Change needs you' shifted the category for South Adeocan banking ads with its call for change made manifest, says the group.

According to the group, the campaign is smart, engaging and pulsating with energy — which is all about enlivening Africans to become change agents who actively build themselves, their communities and their country.

The 'Grid Worldwide' campaign and brand refresh for FNB not only herald a new shift in purpose — it's all about increasing relevance, according to Faye Mfikwe, FNB CMO — but move FNB away from being just a banking brand.

The campaign has 30–40 different versions of the same core concept, localised for FNB's presence in Africa and mirroring the bank's customer profiles.

According to the FNB, the result is a cultural feast and a smorgasbord of inspiration that plays to each country but with a singular message: to be the change that you want to see in the world.

Number four: Nando's '#BrightSides'

Eclipse Communications and Together Films
Nando's finding of a silver lining during load shedding allows South Africans to laugh in the face of economic disaster, says the group.

At the end of April 2022, the fast-casual restaurant chain launched the 'Bright Sides' campaign, followed by this video spoof, which gives residents reasons to embrace load shedding. Depending on the rolling-blackout stage, South Africans get up to a max of four free sides in a deal exclusively available on the Nando’s app and website.

Eclipse Communications won the Nando's PR account in May 2022, and the TVC features Shahan Ramkissoon, the primetime TV news anchor who became Eclipse's chief strategy officer for six months and who's just co-launched Feel SA, a news platform and content production service that puts positive news first.

In '#BrightSides', Ramkissoon is seen reporting from the home of Eishmael Komanate and his family, where the generator is called Andre, the lights are just for show and the shower is their own private arctic chamber during winter.

It’s funny, even if it's on the nose, or maybe because of it, adds the group. Unlike the CR17 model, which should work but doesn't, this campaign perfectly plugs into our collective Eskom angst.

Number three: AB inBev's Corona Studios presents Free Surfer: Khanyisa Mngqibisa

Net#work BBDO and Bioscope Films
AB InBev and Corona give voice to a woman breaking free and breaking out in a way that inspires us all, according to the group.

"When I am surfing, I am free. I am in my own world. Be on top of that surfboard, riding that wave. I am a free surfer," says Khanyisa Mngqibisa. According to AB InBev, This is the voice of a woman who refuses to be defined by others or the confining stereotypes that would make her feel small.

Mngqibisa features in the second local Free Surfer short film from Corona Studios (which launched in South Africa earlier this year) to celebrate those who embrace their freedom in the outdoors.

The work is deeply storied and archetypal: "It was difficult being a female, surfing, being around the ocean. People look at me as if I am wasting my own time. Why are you doing this? This sport is only for men. Black people can’t swim. Surfing is only for white people," adds Mngqibisa.

Today, she's an internationally qualified lifesaver and surf coach but dreams of establishing a surf school for young, black girls. Her hope is that girls will see the doccie, produced by Bioscope Films, and encourage black youngsters to make the most of the opportunities that life offers.

Number two: Distell's The Legend of Chakalaka Norris — Savanna Chilled Chilli

Grey Africa / WPP Liquid and Plank Films
Savanna gets hot and spicy in a uniquely local way, and we're here for it, says the group.

According to the group, Chakalaka Norris is a perfectly formed character who's sauntered into South African culture with a mouth full of hot Nando's and the most incredible attitude — and heels — you've ever seen. Life never puts Norris down, because this spicy sapien claps back hard in a way that feels a lot like getting chilli in your eye. 

A character conceived by Grey Africa / WPP Liquid, this ad premiers Savanna Chilled Chilli, a new cider variant with hints of chilli and ginger from the brand that's owned by Distell.

According to the group, the beauty of this campaign, lies in the detail, with every word, nuance and inflection on point, and it's a playbook on how to create characters that live larger than the commercial edifices they’re born from.

Number one: MTN Springboks — 5G Your Life

TBWA \ Hunt Lascaris and Plank Films
MTN shows us our sporting heroes have the gees to deliver a scrum full of belly laughs, says the group.

The group adds that imagine trying to watch a nail-biting Springboks rugby match, only to see your screen buffer at a crucial moment. This is the premise of this TVC, which elevates product marketing by using MTN's sponsorship of the Boks to demonstrate the difference between 5G and fibre.

"It was a great opportunity for us to mix the MTN 5G product brief and a sponsorship Springbok brief because streaming live sports is something a lot of South Africans are starting to do now," says Keith Manning, TBWA\Hunt Lascaris ECD.

The result is filled with laugh-out-loud moments featuring many of our national rugby team's most loved players, led by Siya Kolisi, who absolutely shine in each shot — as do the fans and the commentators, who complete the show, according to the group.

"For its strategy and creative storyline, humour and production quality, this ad takes our top slot," concludes the team at MarkLives.com.

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