Cherryflava

NSFW: Vodacom goes too far

Posted on 09. Nov, 2007 by Ragel Nel in Advertising

Here at Cherryflava, we are all for innovation in advertising: Ads pushing the limit, ads with shock value, copywriters and creative directors defying boundaries to create something that has never been done before.

This time, however, we think one South African company has simply gone too far.

One of South Africa’s major cellular service providers, Vodacom, has resorted to cheap shots (quite literally) in order to create a shockvertising campaign…or so we suspect.

Earlier this week, explicit images showing Vodacom’s beloved mascot, Mo the Meerkat, in a compromising position, were leaked on the Internet. A fan quickly identified Mo as the subject of the pictures.

We couldn’t reach Mo for comment – apparently he is so ashamed at the destruction of his squeaky clean image, he has fled Camps Bay beach and has been hiding out in his family’s Kalahari nest – but according to an anonymous source close to the family, Mo was tricked into posing for the pictures and had no idea that it was going to be splashed all over the Internet. Apparently he told the source that he now knows how Britney Spears (the inspiration behind the campaign) must feel most of the time.

Previously: Vodacom’s Mo to hit the ocean for summer?

Sponsor thanks: …and on that note much thanks to this week’s sponsors Piggs Peak. If you’re addicted to watching poker on the All Africa channel DSTV – then hitting their link should take care of all your weekend’s entertainment.