Metropolitan Republic’s Wimpy Braille advert

In celebration of 60 years of advertising creativity and excellence, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is releasing its highly anticipated book, Game Changers: The Evolution of the Advertising Industry.

Local advertising company, MetropolitanRepublic has been recognised as one of those game changers, alongside many of the world’s most famous ideas ever produced, like VW’s ‘Lemon’, Hovis’s ‘Bike Ride’, Cola-Cola’s ‘Hilltop’, Cadbury’s ‘Gorilla’, Old Spice’s ‘I’m on a horse!’ and Nike’s ‘Fuel Band’, just to name a few.

Aside from its inclusion in the book, the agency’s Wimpy Braille Burgers campaign has won numerous awards including a Gold Cannes Lion, a Gold Clio, a Gold Loerie, as well as a Food & Beverage Award and a One Show Entertainment Silver Pencil. In addition, the campaign was also named the winner of the Big Idea of the Year at the 2013 South African AdReview Awards.
‘We are exceptionally proud of our awards and the attention this campaign has received. Not only have we been recognised by the global advertising industry but the feedback we received from South Africa’s visually impaired community has also been fantastic,’ explained Paul Warner, MetropolitanRepublic’s Founder and Chief Creative Officer.

To be included in the book and considered a game changer, agencies cannot simply just change the way a consumer thinks about a brand but must also have shaped the way the ad industry works. With a minimal budget of just R15 000, MetropolitanRepublic did just that by reinforcing Wimpy’s ‘Where South Africa Eats’ positioning. By sending out just 15 braille burgers, more than 800 000 sight-disabled people were reached and over R18 million in PR value was generated.

The advert to inform visually impaired people that Wimpy menus are now available in Braille was a completely new and innovative way to spread the message and showed that Wimpy truly caters and cares for everyone.

‘As one of only three South African agencies to be featured in the book, this recognition from Cannes is not only an accolade for MetropolitanReoublic as a creative agency but for South Africans as a whole, showcasing that our creative minds can truly compete with the best that the international market has to offer. Going forward, we will continue delivering ground breaking campaigns for all our clients and working hard to keep South Africa on the creative map,’ concluded Warner.