Unisa’s ad agency wins premier international award

TBWA\HUNT\LASCARIS, Unisa’s advertising agency, won the premier award in the Outdoor Advertising category in this year’s Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival for their billboard campaign commissioned by The Zimbabwean, a bi-weekly newspaper that is published in London but sold in Zimbabwe.

Held in June 2009 in Cannes, France, the awards are considered the Oscars of advertising. This year’s festival attracted more than 10 000 delegates from 94 countries and culminated in the competitive showcase of over 28 000 advertisements from all over the world.

The winning Outdoor Advertising campaign featured a series of billboards made out of now worthless Zimbabwean banknotes. On top of the banknotes were printed provocative statements such as "Thanks to Mugabe, this money is wallpaper", "It's cheaper to print on this money than on paper", and “Fight the regime that has crippled a country".

The agency says the Zimbabwean currency was "an eloquent symbol" of the spectacular collapse of the economy of the country. “This note cannot buy anything, not even a loaf of bread and certainly not any advertising, but it can become the advertising. It can be a powerful reminder of Zimbabwe’s plight and the need to hold someone accountable.”

TBWA\HUNT\LASCARIS beat 4 498 other entrants in the Outdoor category to claim the top award.