IDIDTHAT JUDGE
MELUSI MHLUNGU
FOUNDER & CCO
WE ARE BIZARRE
SOUTH AFRICA
JUDGE’S BIO
Melusi Mhlungu is an award-winning creative with a career spanning global agencies such as David Miami, Ogilvy Chicago, and Johannes Leonardo in New York, where he spent seven years honing his craft. His work has earned recognition at Cannes Lions, The One Show, D&AD, Clios, Sport Clios, and the Loeries – where he was named the 2016 Young Creative.
Over the years, Melusi has brought bold ideas to life for leading brands including Vodacom, Toyota, Old Mutual, FNB, DStv, KFC, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Burger King, Nando’s, NBA, Goodbye Malaria, Adidas, Uber, and Instagram. He is now the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of We Are Bizarre, and a founding partner of Jozi My Jozi, a movement dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the lives of the people of Jozi.
JUDGE’S PICKS
WISH I DID THAT
Judge’s Pick – Melusi Mhlungu
JUDGES COMMENT
”I love how the story of a brand so deeply woven into South African culture is told in a way that feels authentically South African. The craft, the characters, the authenticity is just lovely.”
AWARDED
20 November 2025
WISH I DID THAT
Judge’s Pick – Melusi Mhlungu
JUDGES COMMENT
”I love everything about this piece of work. The insight, the idea and how it was executed in such a fresh way. It’s also lovely to see this brand constantly beautiful work over the years that’s culturally relevant to its audience.”
AWARDED
20 November 2025
ENTRANT: LePub Johannesburg
WISH I DID THAT
Judge’s Pick – Melusi Mhlungu
JUDGES COMMENT
”Very simple, very lovely. It’s such a smart, fresh use of data to turn what would have been an ordinary sponsorship billboard into a living, real-time experience.”
AWARDED
20 November 2025
ENTRANT: The Odd Number
WISH I DID THAT
Judge’s Pick – Melusi Mhlungu
JUDGES COMMENT
”This is such a brave piece of work, beautifully executed. It achieved exactly what it set out to do, getting the the outrage, creating the right conversation which made the idea even stronger.”
AWARDED
20 November 2025
WISH I DID THAT
Judge’s Pick – Melusi Mhlungu
JUDGES COMMENT
”In a time where everything feels complicated, it’s refreshing to see simple stories told in such a relatable way.”
AWARDED
20 November 2025
WISH I DID THAT
Judge’s Pick – Melusi Mhlungu
JUDGES COMMENT
”This piece was beautifully directed – so fun and so entertaining. It feels true to the brand, yet still manages to stand apart from everything they’ve done before.”
AWARDED
20 November 2025
WISH I DID THAT
Judge’s Pick – Melusi Mhlungu
JUDGES COMMENT
”What I love most about this piece of work is the detail and the craft – you can really feel the care that went into it. Its simple and clean and feels timeless, which is a hard thing to achieve brand identities especially for the purpose of this one.”
AWARDED
20 November 2025