Avatar Agency Group, the largest black-owned and managed agency group in South Africa, pulled together and brought to life a new campaign for BCX amid the challenges of the nationwide lockdown.

The campaign, dubbed Great innovation thrives in difficult times, reminds South Africans of the importance of staying resilient during tough times.
The PR-driven campaign boasts of a 360-degree approach comprising of a TVC and radio ad, supported by social media, and a digital campaign. The TVC aired locally from Monday, 11 May on DSTV.

“The COVID-19 crisis has proven that innovation and creativity thrives even in crisis. This integrated campaign was developed on the second day of the Lockdown, where when researching we found that most of the greatest inventions where created during the World’s deadliest pandemics. This campaign is a response to the crisis both from client and the agency, testing our agility, resilience and ability to adapt. The campaign is one of the biggest campaigns we’ve developed this year and this was all done in isolation,” explained Veli Ngubane, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Avatar.

BCX, one of South Africa’s largest ICT companies, believes it is an apt campaign to remind business leaders to continue innovating during a downturn.

Mandisa Ntloko- Petersen, BCX CMO commented: “One thing we know is that the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the need and speed of digital transformation. Overnight the things we talk about – digital transformation and digital innovation – have become an essential service. Now, more than ever, we are reminded to continue identifying opportunities for our customers and for society as we unceasingly strive for excellence, for agility, for customer-centricity.”

Using the insight that some of the greatest inventions have come out during some of the deadliest pandemics in history, the campaign showcases great innovators like Shakespeare, Sir Isaac Newton, Dr. Chris Barnard and many other brilliant minds who made notable discoveries under difficult circumstances.
Albeit working under challenging circumstances due to the nationwide lockdown, Avatar worked closely with client to create a narrative that complements BCX’s future-focused and customer-centric ethos.

“As a business, BCX have had to pivot and implement things we thought might never happen or have taken too long to become accepted. We talk about re-inventing the customer experience: we innovate solutions for how people learn, live, work. As one of the largest ICT companies in South Africa, we are at the forefront of creating the new normal,” added Ntloko-Petersen.

Since the lockdown, BCX brought digital transformation into life by building a Call Centre on Demand (CCoD) for the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in just 48 hours.
It also created Africa’s first contact tracing technology in less than three weeks for the Department of Health.

“The campaign rings true for us as an agency as it does for our client, BCX. As a full-service outfit, we always try to stay on top of the game by being proactive, by dreaming up creative solutions that will add value to our clients’ reputational currency,” said Zibusiso Mkhwanazi, CEO of Avatar Agency Group. “Thanks to this campaign – and many others before it – we have seen and experienced first-hand what real inter-agency collaboration looks like and how it can be harnessed to create meaningful work.”

Stay abreast of all things creative @sacreatives