We like our fish banned
Fish & Chips Co makes a South African favourite… fish & chips. Their food is good, their shops are in good locations, they even have low prices. But for some reason, they weren’t getting the recognition, patronage, or sales they expected.
Complication
Fish & Chips Co was swimming in a sea of sameness. Most people didn’t know their brand. Even having Siphiwe Tshabala, a South African World Cup hero as an ambassador didn’t help to differentiate them. And if that wasn’t enough, they also had a very modest budget.
Solution
Realising that Fish & Chip Co only had one chance to make it, we decided to create a PR stir that would make the brand relevant, memorable, and a South African favourite overnight. Partnering with the comic artist Mdu, we created an animated commercial that we knew would never be flighted. Not because it was offensive, but because of censorship at the state owned SABC. When news that the commercial was banned before it even flighted, went out, everyone and their goldfish wanted to see it.
Impact of the workpiece
Within a week, Fish & Chip Co was front page news on major publications. Facebook fans increased by 1800%, while the commercial went viral becoming one of the top trending videos on Twitter. The ROI on PR alone was 30 000%. Without flighting a single piece of communication, Fish & Chip Co became the most talked about South African brand instantly.