Marketer Spotlight: Behind the Craft with Bridget Harpur
Bridget Harpur, Volkswagen South Africa’s Head of Marketing, PR & Motorsport, isn’t just about selling cars, she’s about telling beautifully crafted stories. Fresh off being crowned Marketer of the Year at the Loeries, she’s got a reputation for backing great ideas, crafted really well. 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. Bridget proves what’s possible when marketers fight for the craft and that’s exactly why we need more of her. Here’s 5-minutes with Bridget Harpur.
‘I love what I do, because of clients like Bridget’
– Alex Goldberg , Creative Partner at Ogilvy South Africa
Q: Bridget, where did it all begin?
Bridget: I started my career as a young, inexperienced media planner in Cape Town. Over a number of years, I grew into a strategist within a few different agencies – FCB Bosman Johnson, Ogilvy, JWT AWSG & BBDO and then full circle back to Ogilvy where I changed course into account management on Sun International and Volkswagen of course! Those were the fun, creative days where best friends were made for life. Eventually, the lure of the City of Gold got me, and I moved to VW as the brand marketing manager in 2009. During my tenure at VW I also worked in a sales manager position for 3 years (humbling, to say the least!) before taking up the Head of Marketing, PR & Motorsport position in 2021. The last few years have been a sweat and a hustle with the most phenomenal rewards. My job keeps me motivated and creatively engaged since every project is so unique. I am privileged to have a tight team of incredible marketers who are big thinkers and professional executors.
Q: Why is craft essential to driving impactful business results? Besides having great creative ideas that resonate with your audience, what motivates you to produce work that is well crafted?
Bridget: I firmly believe that if one is to invade people’s timeline, then the content delivered must be entertaining, intuitively informative or at the bare minimum, helpful. And it goes without saying that to be entertaining and noticeable, a piece should be considerately crafted. In the same way that we, as viewers, want outstanding production quality in a movie or show, so too should advertising content be boxed in as “entertainment”. Once a piece is recognized and treated as such, it is more likely to be shared and spoken about, extending its reach organically.
In a dramatically increasingly cluttered media landscape, investing in good quality production makes commercial sense by making brand communication more effective and impactful, which naturally delivers a higher ROI. That said, at the centre of all good advertising is a good idea. An idea that is simple, relatable for the consumer, and uses recognizable brand signals to maximise creative compounding effects. Too often we see great craft “rescuing” a weak idea which results in marketing ZAR down the drain. So, while I strongly believe in the value of great craft, the core idea must be watertight before investing in production.
Q: What was particularly special about your campaign for Tiguan, ‘Life on the Mind’?
Bridget: Nothing gets me more excited than a good idea. This script was presented over a year ago when we were developing a brand communication piece. For various reasons, it didn’t completely answer the brief for the job at hand, but when we were preparing for the launch of the New Tiguan, it was quickly approved and not-so-quickly produced.
Since Volkswagen is known as “the peoples car” this spot was the perfect way to demonstrate safety features in a unique, customer-centric and human way. We never show technology for technologies sake, we always ask how it improves our consumers drive experience.
However, with balloons and robots, this piece also had the potential to look childish and amateur so picking the right production partners was critical. Karien Cherry and the team at Giant films expertly shot this and massaged the CGI elements over a number of weeks before the final online was ready. The spot is truly special to me because it combines everything I love about our brand, all wrapped up in an epic, stand-out-yet-charming way, with the product in the centre.
Ogilvy South Africa’s Alex Goldberg on working with Bridget…
Alex Goldberg, Ogilvy South Africa’s (Cape Town) Creative Partner, has worked on some of the world’s most iconic brands, and knows first-hand the power of a marketer who backs creativity and craft. Here’s what he said on his experience working with Bridget.
“The best ideas in the world can quickly become steaming piles of mediocrity without a Client who truly believes in the value of creativity, and the craft that goes into it. Bridget loves creativity and truly does trust in the process of making great work. When you do anything that involves CGI, you really do need a Client that trusts in the process and the people behind it. Especially when you’re on set shooting and approving shots that are nowhere near the final product. The process is where it all matters. It’s the countless teams meetings about the floatiness of the balloons, and calls during the school run about whether a robot’s eyes evoke the right emotion are what makes the difference. If you’ve got the right Client in your corner, these build up to something you’re proud to put your name on. The alternative results in a death by a thousand cuts.
I love what I do, because of Clients like Bridget. As Creatives we thrive on the craft. A pixel here, and graffiti-riddled building that transforms into a lovable robot there, it’s where the magic lies. It’s what separates the good from the great and the reason we basically become furniture in an edit suite. The average person won’t really know the difference, but they’ll feel it. But this attention to detail, and love for the craft isn’t reserved for Creatives. Bridget is fully committed to making the idea live its best life. When she buys into a vision, no matter how bizarre, she backs it 100%. And pushes us to making something people will love. It’s then up to us to reward that trust with the best piece we can make. She gives agencies the space to play and you can see it in the work. This is generally a tough game, but making “Life on the Mind” felt effortless. Not because it was easy, but because we had a Client that believed in the idea, and the partners we wanted to collaborate with. From Karien and the team from Giant, to Chocolate Tribe, Deliverance, Resonate and Marc Algranti, they all brought their own bits of magic to the piece.”
Watch the Work
VW Tiguan ‘Life on the Mind’ was awarded IDIDTHAT’s Best in Craft in September 2024 by Neema Nouse, Integrated CD at The ODD Number and Dani Hynes, Director at Love Films. The commercial was awarded in the category Direction to Director Karien Cherry at Giant Films. It also received a Craft Mention for VFX awarded to Chocolate Tribe‘s Tracy-Lee Portnoi by SHIBOBO! Director Monde Gumede.
What the judges had to say about the work…
IDIDTHAT Judge’s comment:
“I am in love with how crisp and uncomplicated this piece is. There is a quiet perfection. The use of natural light is exquisite and the contrasting of earthy tones with bursts of colour gives a visual depth that feels intentional and effortless. And then there is the music. Ah! I believe in striving to “perfect every detail. And limit the amount of details to perfect”. This piece did that for me – focused and refined.”
– Neema Nouse, Integrated CD at The ODD Number
IDIDTHAT Judge’s comment:
“Firstly let me just say that this was a BUMPER month! Wow guys, what a spectacular show of what’s possible. But even so one piece of work really stood out for me. Tiguan stole the show. It has scale without losing its childlike charm and delight. It holds the balance between epic and enchanting in every shot. A sure sign of a beguiling idea meeting deft direction and perfectly restrained CG to create something really special. Well done to everyone involved.”
– Dani Hynes, Director at Love Films
IDIDTHAT Judge’s comment:
“Chocolate Tribe’s attention to detail is no surprise, they’re a company built on obsessive craft. But Tracy-Lee’s work on Karien’s film shows a side of them I’ve never seen before. Usually, directors bring them in for blockbuster-scale VFX, dazzling and massive, but here, Tracy-Lee brings a softness, an almost illustrated, childlike quality that’s just beautiful. There also seems to be a great, very subtle marriage between the practical world and the VFX that points to a really cohesive relationship between Director, DP & VFX sup. It’s an elegant, refreshing approach that puts story first, and channels her skill toward that end. She and the team at Chocolate Tribe are imagineers first, technicians second, and they’ve hit it out of the park again.”
– Monde Gumede, Director at SHIBOBO!
CREDITS
Brand: Volkwagen South Africa
Product: VW Tiguan
Head of Marketing: Bridget Harpur
Brand Marketing Manager: Lungile Nkagadima
Brand Consultant: Thato Lekgetha
Agency: Ogilvy Cape Town
Creative Director: Alex Goldberg
Art Director: Annie Bekker
Copywriter: Emma Wilson
Business Director: Julian Hendrickse
Accounts Manager: Katlego Malaka
Producer: Cathy Day
Production Company: Giant Films
Director: Karien Cherry
Executive Producers: Emma Lundy, Cindy Gabriel
Producer: Kim Fowler-Forbes
Production Manager: Khanyi Ngubane
Production Coordinator: Thandi Steenkamp-Persson
Director of Photography: Adam Bental
Director Assistant: Mieke Olivier
1st AD: Greg Martin
Production Art Director: Riccardo Pugliese
Stylist / Costume Design: Bridget Baker
MUA: Neveen Scello
Editing Company: Deliverance Post
Editor: Julian Redpath
Colourist: Terry Simpson
Music track: Chris Staples “Always on My Mind”
Publishing and Master Rights: Bank Robber Music
Sound Engineer: Marc Algranti
VFX Company: Chocolate Tribe
VFX Supervisor: Rob van den Bragt, Tiaan Franken
CG Supervisor: Tiaan Franken
Lead Compositor: Jean du Plessis
Senior VFX Producer: Tracy-Lee Portnoi
*If your company collaborated on this project and you’re not featured, please contact studio@ididthat.co and we’ll help you become a member.
