For more than a century Clover, manufacturer of dairy and other products, has approached its Afrikaans consumers through Afrikaans advertising. It has therefore been almost a matter of course that Clover has once again decided to be a sponsor of the Pendoring advertising competition and project this year.

“Afrikaans-speaking consumers are aware, informed, progressive consumers who know what they want and who are loyal to their favourite products. Their buying power is among the strongest in the country,” says Denise Meadon, group head: marketing of Clover South Africa. “Afrikaans-speaking consumers have always been an important part of Clover’s target market – in fact, since the inception of Clover.”

A logical result in the decrease of Afrikaans advertising is that many Afrikaans-speakers in this profession leave the country. “The creative opportunities that are still available in South Africa’s advertising world are not to be sneezed at though,” says Meadon. “There are still many opportunities to enchant a young budding population with advertising art that consumers will not only enjoy, but that will help companies through their products and services to become a part of every South African consumer’s life style, despite the language used. It is an unfortunate fact that creative people are the most vulnerable when there are less opportunities.”

Apart from Clover’s involvement in Pendoring, this company is also actively involved in other communities through their corporate social responsibility programme (CSR programme). Clover Mama Africa is a CSR project that Clover started four years ago. As part of this project Clover has erected centres country-wide where twenty-two Mama Africa women work. These are noteworthy women that were identified by means of this project to manage sustainable self-help projects in disadvantaged communities. Clover and other partners train these women in needlework, bread-baking as well as bookkeeping. This enables people to earn an income for themselves and their communities. The women are provided with the necessary equipment to do their work.

For more information, visit www.pendoring.co.za.