Kantar announced South Africa’s Top 20 List of Most Liked Ads for 2021 last week (Friday June 10) and – no surprises here – FCB Joburg dominated the line-up with five Proudly South African television commercials, three in the Top 10 at positions 3, 8 and 9 and the other two ranking 13 and 18.

The agency is, of course, over the moon with its performance and thrilled that two of the ads were for the Toyota Corolla Cross, the vehicle that was named (just a few days earlier on June 6) as the 2022 Car of the Year by the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists.

Toyota accounted for two of the other Top 20 ads and Coca-Cola for FCB Joburg’s fifth.

“We’re ecstatic,” exclaimed MD of the FCB Joburg and Hellocomputer group, Joey Khuvutlu.

“We know that the ability to create ads that win the hearts and minds of South Africans is in FCB’s DNA. And there’s visible proof of that – the Most Loved Ad of the Last Three Decades, the Most Loved Ad of the Last 15 Years and the Most Loved Campaign in Kantar/Millward Brown history all came from our creative studios.

“But to feature on Kantar’s annual Most Liked Ads – to be consistent in engaging so positively with our clients’ most important target markets – is for us the Big Win every year. It’s humbling, it’s reaffirming and proof that what we do is relevant. Hey, huge respect and congratulations to the teams.”

Khuvutlu and Chief Creative Officer, Tseliso Rangaka have distilled their goal for the agency into two – to deliver timeless and timely work, and to put creativity at the centre of the business as the foundation that will deliver employee satisfaction and business growth.

“Timeless work is the kind that makes people fall madly in love with brands. Storytelling, purpose and resonance are the building blocks for work that can literally move people to action and product off shelves, and these most-loved ads are demonstration of timeless work,” said Rangaka.

Nahana CEO, Thabang Skwambane, echoed the duo’s sentiments: “It isn’t easy to create a ‘most liked ad’ without the research data, strategic insights development, a great creative idea and most importantly, a client who wants to create and grow real affinity and equity for their brand.

“So, hats off to all the many people who made the work and the clients who appreciate the value of consumer connection!”

FCB Joburg’s list of Top 20 Best Liked Ads for 2021 are:

3 – Toyota Corolla Cross ‘Prequel’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAmiItz3Yd0

8 – Coca-Cola Uplift Internet Café’ - https://vimeo.com/545520777

9 – Toyota Corolla ‘Hatch Robots’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04Xid07tA5g

13 – Toyota Corolla ‘Cross Robots’

18 – Toyota Rumion “More room for fun’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhDl2YuHPYM