“The campaign was based on the insight that we often forget to say thank you to our moms for all they do for us, and when we do say thank you, we often feel that it just isn’t enough,” says Deolinda Da Costa, marketing manager at McCain South Africa. McCain wanted to give South Africans an opportunity to show their appreciation to their moms, and what better way than with a specially created meal. 

 

The TVC’s showcase how McCain helped three truly authentic South Africans set up a surprise dinner for their moms. Hidden cameras were setup in each of the houses to capture the big surprise, the food was served on the personalised plates and after the moms had finished eating, the message of thanks was revealed, for the whole of South Africa to see. These new TVC’s tap into the emotional connection between a mother and child and this is a huge shift for the brand which has until now only focused on the relevance and convenience factors associated to its product. 

 

The three characters were chosen through a unique street casting process. Each character thought that they were being interviewed for a documentary on moms and had no idea that this was for an advert. “We wanted to create something real and authentic and to do this we knew that we couldn’t go through the regular casting process. Because these characters didn’t know they were “auditioning” they opened up about their moms and their relationship with their moms in a genuine and unique way,” says Da Costa.

 

This campaign is based on a 360º approach and is further supported through e-mailers, digital and social media advertising, branded social media pages, an SMS competition and Public Relations efforts and partnerships. An online e-commerce platform has been created, www.mccainjoys.co.za, to allow South Africans to create their own personalised dinner plate for mom to say thank you. The plate messages can also be shared virtually using the hashtags #MakeAPlate and #JoysOfMcCain. This component will allow for conversations around the plate, real life stories and shared meals. 

 

“This campaign is something completely different to anything that McCain has done before. We hope that South Africans will connect with us and enjoy watching these special moments of thanks,” says Da Costa. “We also hope that they will be inspired to go out there and create a similar experience for their moms to say thank you for the little things that mean everything.” 

 

You can check out the videos of Jessi, Jonathan, and Thuli surprising their mom’s on YouTube, or check out behind the scenes footage here. 

 

For more information, visit www.mccainjoys.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook,Twitter or on Instagram and #MakeAPlate and #JoysOfMcCain hashtags.