Native Impressions got a shot at lasting first impressions pitching for the nation’s Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA). Against the tirade of bigger internationally aligned agencies, Mpho stood alone with the help of an old research friend and won. The ‘natives’ had landed. Shortly after, Native detected another trend – all advertising pictures had to have people in them by default. So the agency cherry picked the much known but less publicized Botswana Building Society and brainstormed. The result was Botswana’s first major homegrown abstract advertising campaign.
One outstanding visual depicted a mother duck with her little ducklings in a row captioned ‘Follow the leader’. Many Batswana were instantly taken back to their good old kindergarten and nursery years and the high pitched singing of the popular ‘Follow the leader’ nursery hymn. In a country with no advertising awards, the campaign received unabashed praise from BBS’ CEO in the annual report. Several radio phone-in sessions buttressed the glowing feedback.
Riding on the ample coat tails of the popular national parliamentary and council elections, Native Outdoor built and flighted over eighty billboards in all fifty seven constituencies.