Vaseline ‘Mntana ka Gogo’

CANNES LIONS 
Winner

AWARD YEAR
2026

AWARDED
24 June 2026

SILVER LION: Social & Creator | E02 (Single-Market Campaign)
SHORTLIST: Social & Creator | A01 (Consumer Goods)

CANNES LIONS PREDICTIONS
Judges Pick

IDIDTHAT JUDGE
Andrea Quaye

AWARDED
20 May 2026

JUDGES COMMENT 
“It draws on a deep cultural African insight that rarely gets brought to the forefront in international settings. Captured through an uncomfortable yet loving moment, it’s the kind of work that immediately catches judges’ attention and invites people to lean in and understand it more deeply. It also stands in strong contrast to many of the usual beauty lotion tropes and category conventions. Its success will ultimately depend on the openness and curiosity of the judges, and their willingness to explore something less familiar.”

– Andrea Quaye, Marketing Director of Heineken Beverages

CANNES LIONS PREDICTIONS
Judges Pick

IDIDTHAT JUDGE
Neo Mashigo

AWARDED
20 May 2026

JUDGES COMMENT 
“There’s nothing like an ad that transports you back to a time and place. Simple, familiar, deeply resonant. The kind of work that quietly says, “We get you.” Timeless. Old school. This is us.”

– Neo Mashigo, Chief Creative Officer of The Up&Up Group

CANNES LIONS PREDICTIONS
Judges Pick

IDIDTHAT JUDGE
Dr. Pepe Marais

AWARDED
20 May 2026

JUDGES COMMENT 
“A major global Unilever brand seen in a way that’s never been seen before. Cultural insight. Arresting visual. Simplicity. Judges will love it.”

– Dr. Pepe Marais, Founding Partner & Group Chief Creative Officer of Joe Public

CANNES LIONS PREDICTIONS
Judges Pick

IDIDTHAT JUDGE
Nkanyezi Masango

AWARDED
20 May 2026

JUDGES COMMENT 
“Sometimes, an idea that happens at the right time, resonates so deeply that no one can stop its momentum. Any judge that tries, will be flattened by ‘Mntana ka Gogo’.”

– Nkanyezi Masango, Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Cape Town

View I DID THAT Cannes Predictions 2026 showcase

D&AD AWARDS
Shortlist

AWARD YEAR
2026

AWARDED
20 May 2026

FINALIST:
Photography

View South Africa’s D&AD Showcase 2026 showcase

THE ONE SHOW AWARDS
Winner

AWARD YEAR
2026

AWARDED
15 May 2026

Background
Heritage Day in South Africa: an extremely overtraded and cluttered day in the South African social media calendar. There’s a lot of noise as brands compete to jump on the bandwagon. What’s more, South Africa’s complicated history makes celebrating our heritage complicated too. What’s nostalgic for one person really might not be for someone else. This piece for Vaseline, created quickly and tactically to celebrate the brand’s 155 year heritage as a staple in South African households, ignited the imaginations of South Africans in communities all over the country – and abroad – because it evoked so powerfully a ritual millions of us have grown up with. It proved to be the one thing that South Africans could all agree on as a tender and cherished part of our heritage.

Creative Idea
A tactical social media post for Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, on Heritage Day, celebrating the brand and product’s 155-year heritage as a staple in South African homes. The idea was steeped in the rich cultural insight about the daily use of Vaseline in South African households, mostly administered by uGogo – the family matriarch; in a vigorously loving ritual of applying the product before a child left home. This was captured in a static image, where a young child’s soft and youthful skin is contrasted with the firm and aged hands of an adult. The image of the child’s face squished into an awkward shape tells a story that evokes nostalgia for millions of South Africans who experienced this timeless ritual and who remember being small children who submitted to Grandma’s ministrations because we knew it was all motivated by love. Heritage Day is a very overtraded day in the South African social media calendar but this single image struck such a powerful chord in the minds of South Africans that it dominated the conversation for weeks afterwards.

Insights & Strategy
As the Original Wonder Jelly, Vaseline has played a rich part in South Africa’s history and heritage, being an essential part of South African homes “since since,” as we like to say. Vaseline Petroleum Jelly therefore really does have a right to claim an important part of South Africa’s heritage – and it’s one everyone loves.

Execution
A tactical social media post for Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, on Heritage Day, celebrating the brand and product’s 155-year heritage as a staple in South African households. The idea was steeped in the rich cultural insight about the daily use of Vaseline in South African households, mostly administered by uGogo – the family matriarch; in a vigorously loving ritual of applying the product before a child left home. The image told a story that evoked nostalgia all over South Africa for many who have experienced this timeless ritual. A tradition not only passed down generations of South Africans, but lovingly rubbed in. Heritage Day is a very overtraded day in the South African social media calendar but this piece rose above the clutter by resonating powerfully with its community.

Results
The single post on September 24th quickly gained 2.2 million views. Over the next 24 hours it gained an additional 5.2 million views mostly through being shared and reposted.
By valuing the combined paid impressions and additional organic views at the campaign’s average CPM, the “MNTANA KA GOGO” campaign achieved an Equivalent Media Value of approximately R33,790.22. This translates to an impressive Return on Investment (ROI) of approximately 68.8%, indicating that for every ZAR spent, the campaign generated nearly R1.69 in media value.
With a total boosted spend of just ZAR 20,018.83 and an impressive CPM of ZAR 1.86, the campaign generated a remarkable 10,777,539 impressions (18M in total if we include reposts) and garnered 116,298 engagements directly on the paid posts, achieving an average engagement rate of 1.08%.

Client/Brand: Unilever South Africa
Chief Marketing Officer: Elizabeth Mokwena
Marketing Lead (Vaseline): Navini Ramsamie
Head of Marketing (Vaseline): Kenosi Matsebatlela

Agency: VML South Africa
Holding Company: WPP
Global Chief Creative Officer: Bas Korsten, Debbi Vandeven
Chief Creative Officer: Jaime Mandelbaum, Fran Luckin
Executive Creative Director: Nhlanhla Ngcobo
Creative Director: Thando Silimela, Tumi Moutlana
Art Director: Mzoxolo Gwabe
Copywriter: Mahlatse Mokautu
Producer: Wendy Machanik
Editor: Carlos Feyder

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