Search is fragmenting – credibility and trust create the new visibility
Online search behaviour has changed significantly with the rise of AI. How can African brands adapt to this new marketing landscape?
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
Serious newsman ‘lightens up’ in new Castle Lite beer commercial
By our News Team | 2022
Campaign shows Carte Blanche anchor ‘getting down and funky’ in a cool bar to promote South African Breweries’ popular beer brand.
Derek Watts, host of M-Net’s hard-hitting current affairs TV show Carte Blanche, recently cast himself in a much ‘lighter’ role for a new marketing campaign by beer brand Castle Lite.
The ‘Lite’n up’ campaign got Watts – known for exposing corruption, criminality and unethical behaviour to South African audiences for more than three decades – to show people how to lighten up and have a good time. Himself included, of course.
Photo: Supplied
He is probably one of the best-known faces on local current affairs television, and a visit by Watts and a Carte Blanche TV crew to your front door typically means you’re in a substantial amount of trouble.
The advert’s script seeks to exploit this, as people from all walks of life – from car guards to shop assistants and supposedly blind beggars – duck for cover as the soberly dressed and serious-looking newsman approaches them in the street.
‘Serious’ presenter becomes a party animal
But this trepidation soon turns to fun as Watts enter a funky bar and is handed a Castle Lite. Off comes the suit jacket and the lanky TV presenter suddenly turns into a party animal and lets loose with some hip-and-happening dance moves. The other patrons are, of course, delighted and join in the fun.
The campaign was the created by ad agency by Ogilvy Cape Town and directed by Anton Visser, co-founder of Patriot Films.
In an interview with industry website Media Update, Watts notes that, while he is serious on Carte Blanche stories, the strangers he meets are sometimes surprised to see his lighter side. “It’s about not taking your work home with you,” he explains.
Watts adds: “I’m not sure the advertisement industry is there to lift our spirits. So, it’s a marketing choice … but I think adverts with a touch of humour are certainly more memorable.”
You can watch the Castle Lite commercial here.
The move toward future-ready food packaging where materials meet AI
Researchers propose a framework for packaging that senses, learns and acts – making packaging an active, AI-powered tool against food waste.
Malawi’s marketers urged to put trust at the heart of the profession
Country needs marketers to build recognition and consumer trust around Malawian products and national brand, says Deputy Minister.
Lingerie brand creates street-stopping advertising in Manhattan
Fashion brand suspends giant lingerie high above the city’s streets, using shadows to create a moving billboard for pedestrians and motorists.
We know AI influencers aren’t real – so why do we trust them?
Researchers describe AI influencers as having a ‘dual identity’. Consumers evaluate both ‘person’ and ‘technology’ identities at once.
Why trust has become a critical asset for hotel industry marketers
Reputation and trust, once modest influences on hotel choice, have become some of the strongest predictors of patronage, study finds.
FNB bank’s eBucks programme dominates the 2026 SA loyalty awards
South African brands are increasingly setting the global benchmark for customer loyalty strategies, organisers say.
Zambia’s strongest creative ideas are emerging from local truths
Global influences among younger consumers are still present, but they are being filtered through a distinctly Zambian lens.
Consumers have doubts about products when they’re designed by AI
Researchers find that lack of perceived ‘genuine care’ is the mechanism connecting AI involvement to lower trust ratings.
Top African marketing voices confirmed for AMC 2026
Explore the 2026 AMC Conference speaker line-up. Top African marketing voices gather in Zambia to tackle AI, AfCFTA, and brand power. Register today.
Broadcast Research Council confirms launch of total video measurement
New industry currency will bring South African television and online video audiences together in a single measurement system.