As the curtains close on Cannes Lions 2025, Pete Case, CEO and Creative Chairman of Ogilvy South Africa, shares a final day full of reflection. From his time judging Creative Strategy to stepping on stage for Titanium, Pete wraps the week with insights on the power of creativity, a toast to South Africa’s wins, and a reminder that what we do, and who we do it with, really matters.
Okay, so Carl Willoughby may have technically written about more than just Day 5, but when the reflections hit this deep, we’ll allow it. As CCO of TBWA\Hunt Lascaris South Africa, Chairman of the Creative Circle and a first-time Cannes juror, Carl captures the full emotional arc of the festival: from intense jury rooms to late-night inspiration, powerful panels, and South African pride - all wrapped in the beautiful messiness of being human in this industry.
It’s Day 4, and Steph van Niekerk is serving 25,000 steps. As Executive Creative Director at TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris, Steph reflects on what really matters at Cannes: from Droga’s wisdom to Shonda’s brilliance, to the pride she feels for her fellow South Africans. Spoiler: she loves us, and boy, do we love her!
Every day this week, we’ve asked one or two brilliant South Africans at Cannes to report back from the frontlines of Cannes Lions. First up, it's Khensani Nobanda, Group Executive for Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Nedbank, who’s kicking off our coverage with a high-energy run and some even higher creative takeouts.
Every day this week, we’re handing the mic to a different South African at Cannes Lions 2025. We’ve asked them to capture one day, however they experienced it, in their own words. First up is Day 1 with none other than Mike Abel, Founder & Executive Chairman M&C Saatchi Abel & Group SA, here to give us a taste of his first day of Cannes, South African style.
Bridget Harpur, VW South Africa’s Head of Marketing, is all about telling beautifully crafted stories. Bridget proves what’s possible when marketers fight for the craft and that’s exactly why we need more of her. Case in point? The VW Tiguan ‘Life on the Mind’ commercial, which snagged Best in Craft for Direction and a Mention for VFX in IDIDTHAT’s monthly Craft Awards last year. Here’s 5-minutes with Bridget Harpur.
When it comes to comedy in advertising, few directors in South Africa understand the craft like Together Films’ Bevan Cullinan. His latest Christmas commercial for Spar, created with TBWA Durban, is packed with British humour, hilarious local insights, and viral appeal, the 3-minute spot is a comedic gem. Go Bevan!
Fell + Co is a creative agency that offers full-service production and post under one roof, delivering faster turnarounds, smarter budgets, and personalised service. Head of Relations Kirsten Gerber says, “We don’t sell products; we tell stories about people who do.
As always, IDIDTHAT is bringing you the Cannes Lions action live, this year in partnership with LITTLEBIG. As of the 17th of June 2024, this page is your gateway to all things South Africa in Cannes. Right here you can check in to view South Africa’s winners and shortlists, the work, and the talented IDIDTHAT members involved in the work. We’ll be updating this page as results come in. Also, head over to our Instagram and Facebook for more coverage. Good luck and here's to championing South African creativity on a global stage. Go Saffas!
Being selected as a judge at Cannes is a massive achievement. It’s a testament to the respect the industry has for you on an international scale. We know that while a lot of us will be basking in the glitz and canapes Cannes has to offer, these judges will be toiling away in dark rooms, sifting through all the entries to identify the most outstanding work the world has to offer. Not to mention the Cannes Lions Shortlist judges who already had to work overtime and in between their own pitches back home! We see you, and we salute you.
Established in 2003 LittleBig is a full-service video production and activation company that, we think, has been flying under people’s radar for far too long. It had us baffled that these guys were bringing home top international awards for South Africa over the past few years (hello Gold Cannes Lions) yet we weren’t seeing their name in the headlines. So, we made a point to get to know the team and find out more about what they do behind the scenes to get onto the main stage at Cannes.
Spitfire has welcomed director Paul Ramaema to its roster, solidifying the production company’s reputation for fostering young gifted talent. Paul’s work ranges from car commercials to music videos and comedy performance spots; a great fit for a production company that embraces multi-talented directors.
Christopher Lee’s direction of the latest Lexus commercial is reflective of a director who is considered, detail-oriented and deeply in love with cars. In reality, Chris is a race car driver who happens to be a director at the same time, and he’s probably the fastest director on four wheels.
Egg Films is thrilled to welcome Lisa Wides (formerly Lisa Jaffee) as their new Head of Communication. She’s no newcomer to the advertising world, bringing over 17 years of experience as an agency TV Producer, most recently serving as the Head of Broadcast at Ogilvy before taking a break to raise kids. Lisa will be a dedicated resource and point of contact for agencies, working closely with agency producers and creatives, serving as the go-to person, and providing agencies with an invaluable resource throughout campaigns.
Chocolate Tribe, the high-end visual effects, animation, and IP development studio, has once again made us say, ‘Wait, is that not real?!’ The game of creature creation on the continent has been taken to another level with their latest animated hyena character named Jonga, a photoreal masterpiece crafted for the Netflix film ‘iNumber Number 2: Jozi Gold.’ This project marks the first CGI-created creature to come from South Africa in a Netflix feature but more importantly, this work proves that even our smaller studios from South Africa can rival the best in the world. Go Tribe!
‘I knew we were making progress when we finally had a recce where no one puked, bled or needed to be medically evacuated,’ says Dave Meinert of directing this epic project spanning several months and countries. Dave is already known for his ability to craft intimate portraits in remote (often dangerous) settings, so it’s a no-brainer that he was tasked to bring these ambitious hero journeys to life for Nivea. Here’s a look into how the maestro did it, with a little help from his South African friends.
It was while shooting one of the first commercials to be filmed in South Africa during lockdown, that Executive Producer Gaye Leong officially launched Together Films. The foundation of the company was laid and the mission statement clear – Together we can do anything, no matter the times. Now, four years and a growing roster of talent later Gaye shares some of the top industry trends her production company has encountered, adapted to and rolled with, Together.
Carbon Films has announced that multitalented director Christian Mangachena has joined their roster. Christian brings a distinctive visual style to advertising that feels unfamiliar, raw and real. As a director with a background in cinematography and editing, Christian uses camera angles, locations, textures and colour palettes to take a deep dive into culture that feels unconventional and refreshing. Christian brings something that we don’t think we’ve seen before and with the production chops of Carbon, we can’t wait to see more.
The Loeries released their rankings for 2023 and congratulations to ROMANCE for being ranked the number one production company in South Africa. BOOM. What better way to celebrate than to go fly-on-the-wall as three ROMANCE directors, Nicole Ackerman, Jabu Newman and Emilie Badenhorst interview each other. They get candid about their process, background, influences and the women who helped them along their way.
Robin is one of those true filmmakers with incredible visual artistry chops. He’s blessed with the double superpower of being able to create evocative imagery while crafting powerful performances. With multiple Cannes Lion awards, a Loerie Grand Prix, over 15 years of commercial directing experience and two feature films under his belt, Robin adds his experience to the already established roster at They.