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Cannes Lions 2019: Edgars’ cultural short film and new-look campaign wins bronze
VMLY&R South Africa has won clothing retail brand Edgars its first Cannes Lion with a Bronze Lion in the Entertainment category and two shortlists in Brand Experience and Entertainment.
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VMLY&R South Africa has won Edgars its first Cannes Lions award at the 66th annual Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity this month.
VMLY&R South Africa is a media agency that understands the “fundamental human need for connection”, and took Edgars to new heights with a fresh new look and the winning short film, “Don’t Tell Me What To Do.”
The importance of celebrating African work
The Regional Chief Creative Office of VMLY&R, Ryan McManus, says the new campaign took a “90-year old department store brand struggling for relevance” and turned it a cultural catalyst of self-expression.”
He also remarked on the importance of African work that celebrates South Africa’s unique culture and diversity, as well as the impact of being recognised on the global stage:
“To be awarded for producing some of the best work in the world is an important accolade for locally-relevant creative content and we couldn’t be prouder. […] The Entertainment category at Cannes is extremely tough to win in, so we are thrilled with the Lion.”
A fresh new look
Watch the eye-catching, colour-popping 90 -second film below. The content includes make-up tutorials, body-positive poems, choir performances, and personal stories, all feature Edgars merchandise with pride.
Since the launch of its “vibrant, real, diverse” new campaign, Edgars is winning back the brand love and noted a 533% increase in brand sentiment.
It now boasts a new logo and a rejuvenated look that aims to bring the “street” back into stores. Edgars is now Proudly South African and truly hard to ignore. This is what it looked like before the re-launch…
Collaborating with South African creatives
The new campaign also features an original song by Sho Madjozi and an entire fashion collection inspired by the vibrant fabrics from Limpopo, Madjozi’s home province.
Madjozi is one of SA’s newest music sensations. She won two South African Music Awards – for Best Female Artist and Best Newcomer – earlier this year, and was recognised for her hard work at the BET Awards on 23 June.
From boring brand to an “incredible melting pot of culture”
The result was a brand repositioning that took Edgars from being on the outside of local culture to a culturally relevant connected brand.
Edgars Head of Marketing, Nicky Correia says the Cannes win isn’t just for the brand, but a win for South African culture.
“We have become a brand driven by a diversity of very real people who are all culture creators in their own inspiring ways, so this campaign was so much more than a brand message for us. It is a call to self-expression for all South Africans, and it’s this incredible melting pot of culture that led the way and shone through so powerfully.”
