Behind Cartrack’s New R150 000 Warranty TV Commercial

When Cartrack embarked on finding a key message that it wanted to convey in its new TV commercial (TVC), it decided to focus on a promise it made to South Africans, which no competitor has been able to match.

‘We are the only vehicle tracking company in South Africa that offers our clients up to R150 000 in the unlikely event that we are unable to recover their stolen or hijacked vehicle. We decided that this powerful message which provides our clients with the most exceptional peace of mind was to be the focus of our new TV campaign. Not only does it underpin the fact that we have a 94 percent independently audited recovery rate, but it clearly shows that if we cannot recover a client’s vehicle, that is legitimately reported stolen or hijacked and complies with our terms and conditions, we will put our money where our mouth is. In our industry, if a vehicle is not recovered, most clients end up holding the can, but not for Cartrack clients, as we firmly believe that we are accountable to our clients for the promises we make,’ said Jacqui Nel, Cartrack’s Marketing and Communications Manager.

It was up to creative agency, Grey Africa, to find a way to get the message across clearly and succinctly. ‘Many brands over-promise and under-deliver, which influences consumer expectations of what they see and hear in advertising campaigns. We had to find a way to let viewers know that Cartrack’s R150 000 Warranty is sincere, and in fact unprecedented in the industry,’ said Francois Boshoff, Grey Africa Creative Director.

The creative team came up with the idea of a car disappearing in pieces, made possible by superior production and a few incredible special effects. ‘As far as we know, the concept had never been used in any film or TVC. Ultimately, we want the R150 000 Warranty message to resonate with the audience by showing them that even if their car “disappears right in front of their eyes”, there’s no need to worry with Cartrack,’ explained Boshoff.
Grey Africa enlisted the expertise of production company, Giant Films, with Sam Coleman as director and Laura Sampson as producer, to translate it into a workable visual platform. You would expect the special effects of a disappearing car to be computer-generated, but Sam chose for the majority of the effects to happen live during filming, with parts of the car literally flying off. Luthuli Dlamini was cast as the lead actor in the TVC and portrays a motorist whose vehicle literally disappears, piece by piece, while he is driving it.

Downtown Johannesburg with its big city, gritty urban feel provided the backdrop for the TVC. ‘Shooting in downtown Jozi on a Saturday evening can be tricky, especially when you close off a road that taxi drivers use every day. Other than some rather impatient taxi drivers and a touch of Cape Town weather, the eight-hour shoot progressed very smoothly,’ said Boshoff.

‘We are delighted with the end result,’ said Jacqui Nel of Cartrack. ‘The team at Grey Africa and Giant Films have done an excellent job. The TVC is scheduled to be flighted from 21 July on a bouquet of DSTV channels and I have no doubt that the message it conveys about our R150 000 Warranty will be as memorable as the commercial is,’ she concluded.