Premium cognac brand, Rémy Martin, has launched its latest advertising campaign, that calls for South Africans to live their lives to the fullest. The campaign, entitled “One Life. Live Them.”, was first launched last year, with this second iteration continuing the call for individuals to explore a life that is rich with experience.
“The campaign aims to encourage people to live their lives to the fullest,” explains Phil Voget, Rémy Martin Marketing Manager. “Last year we featured individuals who had excelled on various different paths within their own lives. This year we want to amplify this and inspire people to be more than just the name on their business cards. We are featuring individuals who are the sum of many talents and diverse interests, and who have built up unique experiences in their lives as a result. Over the course of the campaign we will be asking our consumers to embrace this philosophy, and celebrate their multi-talents and experiences with a spirit that’s equally hard to put in a box. A spirit like Rémy Martin.”
The 2016 campaign features two local faces – Madoda Khuzwayo and Sylvester Chauke – who were picked by the brand because of the range of experiences they have, and the accomplishments they have achieved.
Madoda Khuzwayo is an inventor, businessman, educator and technologist, as well as an avid traveller and foodie. Growing up in KZN, he moved to Gauteng and studied engineering, but found that his passions lay in online and mobile technologies. He has subsequently founded a number of companies, one being OPENTENDERS, a portal that connects businesses with procurement opportunities.
He also has a passion for food, which, along with his travel experiences, led to him developing a food and recipe portal app dedicated to publishing unique recipes from around the world, provided by professional chefs.
He says: “No day is the same – sometimes I am coding like my life depends on it and on other days, I am hosting international diplomats. Some days I am on Skype in the middle of the night with my developers across three different time zones, or I am in the boardroom with investors, lawyers and accountants”.
He hopes that he can inspire other generations: “Dream big and work insanely hard. Don’t hold back and don’t wait for it to come to you – go and get it. Life is beautiful and what you make of it. Do big things. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Don’t be afraid to fail either, because only by learning these lessons can we succeed.”
Sylvester Chauke is a marketer, entrepreneur, dancer, thinker and dreamer. After heading up marketing teams for several international brands, he now runs his own agency, DNA Architects. He is obsessed with creativity and how people express it in pictures, artwork, music and especially in dance.
He is a champion for the voice of young entrepreneurs and is involved in various organisations – a member of the World Economic Forum Global Shaper Alumni, a United Nations MDG Sustainability Ambassador and a board member for the South African State Theatre.
He’s the recipient of a number of awards and accolades: Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the South African Premier Business Awards 2015; Top Empowered Young Achiever of 2016 at the South African Oliver Empowerment Awards; and the CEO Award (Best Enterprise and Manager) from the European Business Assembly 2016.
He was also recently been nominated in the Business Innovation Category of the South African of the Year Awards and was named as one of Superbalist’s Top 100 for 2016.
He says: “I have had a varied career that has offered me many opportunities to grow as a fierce leader. Each stage of my career came with some incredible moments and learnings and those who led me in each of those stages, made an impact in my leadership style”.
He wants to inspire South Africans to be the greatest they can be: “South Africa is world class! We have what it takes to be great and I wish we believed this even more. We need to learn how to activate greatness as a country even more. I love the endless opportunities to be whoever we want to be without fear, without reservation. We are a colourful country that moves from contradictions and extremes but we are none-the-less relentless and we keep moving forward regardless. There is a demand for excellence around us, you can smell it.”
The campaign was developed by local advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi Brandsrock. Their Creative Director, Mike Beukes, said of the campaign this year: “We have chosen two very interesting and diverse men to feature this year. Our photographer, Sacha Waldman, created an amazing campaign for us last year and has outdone himself again this year”.
“This year, Rémy Martin will also be bringing several different exciting experiences to life with a number of events held around South Africa for fans of the brand to experience”, he concludes.
The Rémy Martin campaign launches today and will run throughout the summer season.
To sign up for Rémy Martin experiences around the country and to find out more about the “One Life.Live Them” campaign, visit www.remymartin.co.za.
Campaign credits:
· Creative agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Brandsrock
· Campaign photography: Sacha Waldman
· Campaign videography: Motif and Black Weather Productions