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28 Feb This new ‘local is lekker’ ad uses a South African swearword – but that’s not why people hate it

Posted at 08:00h in Industry News by
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  • The South African computer manufacturer Mecer recently released a new advert, celebrating three decades of producing local products. 
  • But the ad – which features a three-letter local swearword – has not gone down well.
  • In fact, at least one person is saying it may be the worst commercial ever released in South Africa.

 

The South African computer manufacturer Mecer recently released an advert celebrating thirty years of producing local products.

It features a crew of singing and dancing people (presumably employees) in a factory, celebrating local manufacturing and everything South African, from the Springboks to Nelson Mandela. At one point, the lead singer raps that “local is not k*k”.

The ad explains how local manufacturing boosts economic growth and provides jobs, and at one point, a singer shoulders dancers wearing international brands like Nike, Kappa and Adidas out of the way.

 

The ad has been trending on social media – but for all the wrong reasons.

Guys, if we don’t tag Mecer & their ad agency & tell them to drop that ad, we don’t know what we’re doing!

— Sizwe Dhlomo (@SizweDhlomo) February 26, 2019

See also: Nando’s just burned Absa with a hilarious ad featuring hyenas and burning TVs

Dozens of social media users complained about the ad’s shoddy production values, clichés and dated aesthetics, and one Twitter user described it as “the worst ad ever”. The ad has a running time of almost two minutes.

“Was it meant to be a rap? Was it meant to be spoken word? Why are blacks dancing and singing for laptops? And also why can’t the lead dancer, dance ke? The rap doesn’t even have rhymes,” one viewer commented on YouTube.

One of the more memorable lines in the ad is: “We are Swati, we are Tsonga too, like a one-tonne bakkie, we do what we need to do.”

Other gems include: “With our rainbow nation, we maak ‘n plan, we are all South African” and “Don’t be a moegoe, just because it’s foreign doesn’t make it okay.”

 

Some even refused to believe that it was a real ad.

But the company said in a statement  that the advert highlighted the company’s commitment to South Africa and all the people that make up its rainbow nation.

“As a company who have recently celebrated their third decade of operation, the campaign is an opportunity for Mecer to reaffirm their commitment to offering South Africans access to world-class technology at an affordable price and create jobs that will help to drive the economy and reduce inequality,” read the statement.

Mecer said they were encouraged by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitment to have learners at the country’s schools using tablets in the future.

Regardless of the company’s motives, many South Africans wish to unsee the ad.

One branding expert told Business Insider SA spoke that it is unclear what Mecer was trying to achieve with the ad.

“If you don’t advertise regularly, you want to go out with a bang. It was a bang for them, but I’m not sure if it landed well.”

You can watch the ad here:

 

 

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