Case Studies

  • Cadbury Dairy Milk Triplets TV Commercial Launch
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    Cadbury Dairy Milk Triplets TV Commercial Launch
    In July 2014 Cadbury Dairy Milk launched the joyous ‘Triplets’ TV commercial, introducing three animated siblings in their mothers’ womb, singing the song “Joy (we are family)” by South African acapella group The Soil.

    Plato Communications was tasked to implement an effective Consumer PR Campaign to gain relevant media coverage with key objectives of growing thje Cadbury Dairy Milk social media fan base and increasing brand affinity within a new market segment. This was achieved by asking consumers to help name the Triplets from the TV Commercial, which resulted in the compilation of South Africa’s first baby naming book.

    This effective campaign successfully amplified the launch of the CDM Triplets TVC and engaged consumers in the ‘Naming the Triplets’ campaign. The campaign had social media abuzz with love for the joyous trio, growing the CDM Facebook following from 35 000 followers to over 350 000 in the first 3 months of the campaign. Using effective PR tactics Plato achieved R 1 871 343 in AVE (1:1) brand media coverage resulting in an ROI of 6:1.

    The campaign received two Special Mentions in the Social Media and Consumer PR categories at the 2015 Prism Awards.

    It was a privilege to service Mondelez, Cadbury Dairy Milk and the cheerful trio and to help create a spontaneous release of joy, while capturing the hearts and souls of the nation.

    After a nationwide search, the Cadbury Dairy Milk’s Triplets names are revealed.



    Media Launch for the ‘Little Book of Joy’, South Africa’s first baby naming book.

  • Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations New Product Launch
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    Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations New Product Launch
    Runaway international success story, Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations, launched in South Africa in May 2015. Supported by an integrated marketing campaign this new product launch also offered consumers an experiential journey of fun and flavours at ‘The World of Marvellous Creations’ Pop-Up Store.

    Plato Communications amplified the campaign through the implementation of strategic PR tactics and strong media relations, effectively positioning Marvellous Creations as an accessible premium within the Cadbury Dairy Milk stable.

    Measured results shows R 2 693 945,00 in AVE (1:1), a 6:1 ROI and Marvellous Creations labeled the biggest innovation launch achieving 6.6% share of the market. The campaign was awarded a Bronze Award in the Media Relations Category at the 2016 Prism Awards

    By tapping into consumer insights and disseminating relevant messages through targeted media, Plato Communications effectively helped build the brand association of joyful moments of family sharing.

    Celebrities and Media took to Social Media to share news about the arrival of Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations. The custom 3D printed puzzles press packs moulded in the shape of this unique chocolate offered hours of family fun.

    Cadbury Dairy Milk offered an experiential consumer journey through The World of Marvellous Creations Pop Up Store, which was launched to Media and Influencers in a fun and interactive way.

  • Cadbury Lunch Bar 50th Birthday Celebration
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    Cadbury Lunch Bar 50th Birthday Celebration
    In celebration of its Golden 50th Anniversary, Lunch Bar developed a heartfelt campaign, which celebrated the rich and colourful heritage of South Africa’s No.1 chocolate bar by encouraging consumers to share their talents through Lunch Bar-inspired designs.

    To drive campaign engagement and ensure ongoing media interest Lunch Bar strategically aligned with the talents of local SA designers to produce a limited edition Lunch Bar-inspired range of T-shirts, and socks.

    The 8-month campaign held media interest throughout generating a measured PR value of R1.9 million, ROI of 5:1 (1:1), while ultimately reaching share growth of 29.3% for the year.

    The Lunch Bar-inspired PR campaign offered consumers ‘much much more’ to celebrate, while the use of strong media relations helped communicate brand messages that paid homage to a heritage brand.

    Lunch Bar-inspired activations drove consumer and media interest in the campaign while also collecting designs to be entered into the Social Media competition to develop a limited edition range of Socks and T-Shirts.








    The Lunch Bar-inspired Limited edition range of socks and T-Shirts were revealed at a Media Launch, which was hosted by Campaign Influencers Skinny Sbu Socks and AfrikanSwiss

  • Add Hope: World Hunger Month 2016
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    Add Hope: World Hunger Month 2016
    Plato Communications ran an awareness programme with the Expresso Show.

    Plato worked closely with the Expresso team to develop and manage content, that would educate the consumers who donate to Add Hope, as to how their R2 contribution help to feed South Africans. This included the following delivery for each insert:​

    Conceptualise and plan​
    Research stories​
    Create a script and shotlist​
    Produce - liaising with beneficiaries, Expresso production team and Add Hope teams​
    Assist with direction on shoots​
    Review edits​
    Brief all participants on story broadcasts​
    Write and check studio links​
    Prepare Q&A for interviewees​
    Provide photographs and links for each insert to be used for further leverage.

    Plato and Expresso created 7 short stories around the NGO beneficiaries which aired to educate the public and raise awareness.

  • KFC IFLG
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    KFC IFLG
    In 2016, KFC went back to its original slogan 'It's Finger Lickin' good'. The tagline was re-introduced worldwide. Plato launched a Sensory Event to re-introduce the slogan to the media and key influencers. The Sensory Dining Experience was hosted first at the Giggling Gourmet, in Cape Town before moving to the Good Food Studio in Johannesburg.

    J’Something, Micasa musician turned chef extraordinaire hosted guests including media, celebrities and KFC advocates.

    Guests tried their hand at preparing KFC’s Original Recipe chicken and had the opportunity to not only make but also try out the new KFC Burrito that launched on 6 September before tucking into some delicious KFC and enjoying a dining experience together.
  • Virtual Reality spreads Hope against Hunger
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    Virtual Reality spreads Hope against Hunger
    On World Hunger Day, Add Hope shared virtual reality experiences filmed at NGOs for the first time online and in restaurants to inspire South Africans to join the Hope against Hunger Challenge.

    The Hope Squad, a group of young people whose own lives have been changed by Add Hope, visited KFC restaurants and immersed delighted customers in virtual reality 360* experiences made at some of the organisations that Add Hope partners with around the country, including JAM, Boys & Girls Clubs of South Africa and Africa Food for Thought.

    A number of celebrities took to social media and the airwaves to lend their voices to the Hope against Hunger Challenge after visiting Afrika Tikkun in Alexandra to get a first-hand experience of the incredible impact the donations have on young lives. Personalities including Proverb, Jonathan Boynton Lee, Dr Alex Smile, Carmel Fisher, Nicole Da Silva, DJ Sabby, Bokang Montjane Tshabalala, Danine Naidoo and newly appointed Add Hope ambassador, actor Sthembiso Khoza, donated to help feed over 120 000 children around the country, challenging others to do the same. The group then visited nearby beneficiary Afrika Tikkun at its Phutadijaba centre in Alexandra to experience the impact of Add Hope for themselves.

    To view the 360 degree videos please click the link below:
    http://bit.ly/2sVHsr8

  • Cadbury Dairy Milk Flavourism
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    Cadbury Dairy Milk Flavourism
    After a year of product innovation, Cadbury Dairy Milk planned to raise awareness of its core range of flavours through the implementation of an integrated campaign, Cadbury Dairy Milk Flavourism.

    Supporting these activities, PR was tasked to help ‘bring the Cadbury Dairy Milk flavours to life’ encouraging consumers to broaden their chocolate repertoire, trying flavours they may not have tried before. PR partnered with Mojanation to devise a fun consumer activation and so, South Africa’s first ‘Joy Generator’ was born.

    Designed to unlock the joy of finding your perfect chocolate match, the Joy Generator activations reached consumers nationally.

    With five national ‘Joy Generator’ activations Cadbury Dairy Milk set to unlock Joy by encouraging consumers to find their perfect chocolate match.
    This vending machine-style activation asked guests to log in via Facebook or by entering their name and date of birth. It welcomed them via a digital screen and determined their flavour match via an algorithm, ultimately gifting them their personal flavour-matched Cadbury Dairy Milk slab.

    The hut like vending machine was operated by a set of trained actors a.k.a ‘joy generators’.

    To launch the activations, Media and Influencers were invited to an exclusive VIP reveal of SA’s 1st ‘Joy Generator’, becoming the first South Africans to share their flavour matching personality traits via social media using #WhatsYourFlavourSA. This helped create hype and anticipation with consumers who could soon visit a ‘Joy Generator’ activation near them.

    The goodie bag and post event Press Drop gave media full access to all campaign elements and the opportunity to enjoy the 10 flavours. The pack also shared how to engage with the Flavourism campaign on social media and where to attend the Joy Generator activations.

    To dial up the joy, PR pre-matched 10 influencers and 10 bloggers with their individual flavours, without their knowledge. We wanted to ensure that the Media Launch was attended by matched guests for each flavour.

    Influencers and Bloggers were asked to;

    • Attend the media launch or a nearby activation to discover their true flavour profile.
    • Share their flavour profiles on Social Media.
    • Develop flavour matched blog or social content, with their particular CDM flavour as the hero.
    • Drive reader and fan engagement through flavour matching giveaways
    Drive ongoing interest and engagement by encouraging fans and readers to visit a Flavourism activation or by using the campaign microsite to find their chocolate soulmate.

    Consumers were drawn to the ‘surprise’ element of finding their flavour match with Joy literally erupting each time the Joy Generator dispensed their matching flavour.

    But, more than freeing Joy, the Joy Generator delightfully showcased the Cadbury Dairy Milk flavour variants, generating talk ability, while effectively building awareness and brand love via the interaction experience.

  • Dentyne Smile
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    Dentyne Smile
    #DentyneSmile by Ogilvy PR and Plato Communications was an outstanding bespoke mix of creativity, social media execution and influencer engagement. MediaUpdate website said this campaign showed “the magic” that happens when influencers are used properly and it exceeded KPI’s in every area while driving Dentyne brand awareness among younger females.

    The unique feel-good ‘girl power’ competition concept gave entrants the opportunity to win a professional CV video selling themselves and a one-on-one meeting with Minnie Dlamini for career guidance. The competition was cleverly promoted in myriad ways which contributed to an impressive 55,000 competition entries and 7.5m Facebook impressions.

    The PR creative team, working off #DentyneSmile, developed an insight around the role a smile can play in a woman’s life and career. Ambitious South African women were potentially defaulting to the ‘power look’ - a more serious face – when in fact it’s a smile that helps people to connect positively in every aspect of their lives. In business, with friends and with families, the real power of a smile is endless.

    The result was a unique competition aimed at incentivising young women to harness the power of their smile by winning a 30-second personalised video promotion. This video would have advertising spend behind it and would promote themselves or their business. An added reward was an opportunity to meet Dentyne spokesperson Minnie Dlamini to chat about career advancement, as well as winning a range of other “tools” to kick start their professional dreams.

    The complete prize elements were:
    - 1 x 30 second personalized digital video advertising campaign
    - Dentyne hamper
    - a copy of the book Girl Boss
    - clothing voucher R6 500
    - Sorbet voucher
    - Apple iPad 4 Mini Notebook
    - one-on-one mentor meeting with Minnie Dlamini.


    “#DentyneSmile really hit the mark for us. The competition concept was unique, engaging and right for both the brand and the market. Its promotion and amplification took us well beyond our target for entries and enhanced our brand’s perception. What I personally really loved is how we illustrated the power of a smile and how we showcased how a women’s smile can open up doors for her (with the help of Dentyne of course!)” - Andrea Cloete, Senior Category Manager on Dentyne.

  • Halls Air Flash Mob
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    Halls Air Flash Mob
    HALLS candy, with distinct ‘mentholation’ properties, is set apart from competitors and positioned as a ‘candy with a purpose.’ Through measured consumer sentiment, it was found that HALLS was boxed as a ‘throat sweet’.

    While HALLS didn’t want to distance itself from that loyal fan base, there was an opportunity to reach a broader target market. HALLS needed to position itself as “playful, refreshing and invigorating”, while communicating: “There’s Air – and then there’s HALLS Air”.

    With this in mind, Plato coordinated, filmed and promoted a high-energy HALLS-branded Flash Mob to bring this concept to life.

    PR worked with Newcast and Zinto Marketing to brief and help choreograph the HALLS Air Flash Mob, as well as defining consumer messaging. The Flash Mob incorporated a bucket drummer, rapper, a cappella singers, pantsula and break dancers, all working together to create a seamless execution showing HALLS Air power being transferred from dancer to dancer. Plato invited ‘hidden influencers’ to attend/post live images and videos on social. Sampling took place during/after the Flash Mob with consumers.

    Activation can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIl3qjNQF_4

    Through the HALLS Flash Mob, we were able to successfully activate in a playful way while sharing the key messages, during and post-activation. The dancers and singers in the Flash Mob were used skillfully to ignite a wave of reaction from consumers and media, which ensured HALLS was positioned in the desired space, while also remaining true to its original market.



  • Cadbury Lunch Bar New Look Wrapper Drive
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    Cadbury Lunch Bar New Look Wrapper Drive
    During 2016 Cadbury Lunch Bar offered South African taxi commuters a chance to uplift their community through its’ NEW LOOK Wrapper Collection Drive.

    By collecting Lunch Bar wrappers, rank communities competed for the R100 000 rank makeover prize, while consumer loyalty was rewarded with spot prizes and the chance to win the R200 000 ‘Hungry Hustler’ starter kit.

    Plato was tasked to land the ‘NEW LOOK, SAME GREAT TASTE’ message with media and consumers. Also, to mirror the resourceful spirit of Lunch Bar by finding ways to repurpose the collected Lunch Bar wrappers.
    The Wrapper Collection Drive was held at 4 high footfall Taxi Ranks in Gauteng.

    Twice a week, promoters handed out loyalty cards to encourage the community to hand in wrappers. Each wrapper afforded the consumer 1 sticker for their loyalty card - 9 wrappers/stickers = 1 instant prize and 1 entry into the grand prize draw to win the Hungry Hustler Starter Kit valued at R200 000.

    The four ranks competed to collect the most wrappers and to win a Taxi Rank makeover to the value of R100 000.

    Taxi Rank Towers and Billboards drove awareness of the NEW LOOK supported by a robust TV, Radio and Digital Campaign. Transit TV flighted the Lunch Bar TVC, competition mechanics and weekly rank leaderboards.

    Plato handpicked four influencers from the community to drive media interest and hype.

    Local artist, John Vusi Mfupi, used collected wrappers to create a Lunch Bar inspired artwork.

    Thamba Tabvuma, a local entrepreneur, upcycled the remaining wrappers creating various products which Plato used in press drops to generate further exposure.
    Plato secured a deal with comedian and hype man TolA$$Mo placing the NEW LOOK Lunch Bar in his music video ‘Shuga’, which was inserted onto Transit TV and shared on social media. TolA$$Mo also performed MC duties at media launches and rank activations.

    Finally, Sibusiso Ngwenya from Skinny Sbu Socks was brought on board as a prime example of a hungry hustler.
    A Media Launch was held at 27Boxes in Melville. The event saw guests taken to Bree Street taxi rank in Lunch Bar-branded taxis. Campaign influencers were on hand to guide guests through the rank activation consumer journey. In addition the event showcased each of the influencers Lunch Bar inspired work, while utilising their talents throughout the evening. From learning the ‘Shuga’ dance from TollA$$Mo to workshopping how to upcycle wrappers from John and Thamba.

    Thereafter, influencers continued to create hype. They attended taxi rank activations to engage with the community and shared ‘Hungry Hustler Tips’ in print, broadcast, on-line and social media.

    In addition, Plato lobbied with blogger and community media to attend activations near them, garnering further exposure.

    After reveal, the artwork was placed on Gauteng rank towers and billboards, thanking the community for their involvement. Participating media each received a limited-edition replica and consumers could win theirs through giveaways. The R200 000 ‘Hungry Hustler’ winner was announced and community media invited to the handover.

    Bree was announced as the winning taxi rank and the R100 000 makeover rolled out. This included shop signage, a newly-renovated canteen, Lunch Bar wrapper umbrellas by Thamba, as well as various other supplies, to assist the surrounding shop owners.

    Concluding the campaign, the Lunch Bar wrapper artwork will be auctioned with proceeds going to The MAD (Make A Difference) Leadership Foundation with an auction target of R50 000.

  • Open Up with Oreo
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    Open Up with Oreo
    ‘Open Up with Oreo’ launched globally to bring people together and open their hearts to seeing the world through a child’s eyes. The campaign included a promotion to win one of 3 family trips to New York City, TV, Radio, Activations, PR and Sampling.

    Road tripping across SA, the #Wonderselfie activation let fans turn selfies into cream-etched digital OREO pictures, to share on social media. Our challenge was to integrate and amplify all marketing activities across PR and Digital platforms.

    Driving mass awareness and entries, our objective was mirroring the activations and landing the campaign’s purpose to #LetWonderOut.

    While consumers could enter to win the grand prize trip to New York via SMS, a dedicated website was created as the go-to hub for everything Oreo, including a competition entry portal, #WonderChute and #Wonderselfie activations information, a blog, video content and the shareable #OREOSelfie game.

    Social Media content was generated and shared via Oreo Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and supported through a promotional strategy for digital and mobile.
    To announce the promotion, website and wonderfilled activations to Media, PR designed and produced a playful TIC-TAC-OREO Press Drop. This generated social media engagement driving media to view the website and share on social media.

    PR hosted a launch giving Media a VIP view of the first consumer activation, schedule over Easter at Montecasino Piazza. With their families, Media witnessed thousands of #WonderChutes raining from the sky, while energetic Wonderpeeps sampled Oreo product and giveaways to consumers. Social media handles were shared on all collateral and large digital screens throughout the day.

    Following the #WonderChutes activation, the #WonderSelfie activation was introduced and rolled out nationally. At these activations consumers watched how their selfie converted into a digitally edged image onto the cream of the cookie, which they could share on social and also take home as a printed keepsake. PR worked with media and influencers to amplify this via social media.

    Those who couldn’t join the activations could digitally #LetWonderOut on our website by uploading a selfie, watch as it transformed into an #OREOselfie (etched in cream) and then share it with another Oreo fan, presumably a stranger, through the magic of Twitter. This landed the idea that although strangers might seem different, there are still always similarities that can bring us together – like loving OREO.

    PR further amplified campaign elements through relevant content generation and tactics, driving consumers to enter the competition, attend an activation, visit the website or share on social. These included;

    •Blogger Challenge with most creative way to eat OREOs. Then share content, promote the
    competition and give OREO hampers away to followers.
    •According to Jerry style blog profiled up-and-coming Soweto Designer who created the
    Wonderpeeps promoters look.
    •Radio campaign to amplify main competition (VOW FM, CliffCentral, MixFM and Jozi FM).
    •Travel story in Sunday Times highlighting top sights to visit in New York City, including the
    Oreo Factory.

    To conclude the campaign, a Winner announcement release was distributed to community and social media.

    Plato opened up with Oreo by bringing traditional PR and Social Media tactics together. Generating not only content that is relevant, but also engaging and shareable.

    Furthermore, through the seamless integration and amplification of all campaign elements Plato efficiently used Social Media as a support tool with measurable results that added to the overall success of the campaign and business objectives.

    #WonderChutes Activation | https://vimeo.com/161094359
    #Wonderselfie Activation | https://vimeo.com/164810425

  • Cadbury P.S. #PSGiveADress
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    Cadbury P.S. #PSGiveADress
    Matric Farewells should be a night to remember and for most girls, the perfect dress is a key part of the event as it contributes to the makings of a joyous Cinderella story.

    This insight motivated the launch of the heartfelt Cadbury P.S. #PSGiveADress campaign.

    The campaign included a national Dress Collection Drive from July to August and a Dress Distribution Day in September where deserving Cadbury P.S. fans could collect dream dress after motivating for themselves on social media.

    To kick off the campaign, Plato distributed press packs to media and influencers, nationally. The touching, but inexpensive pack was specifically designed to encourage recipients to return a pre-loved dress to Plato in the same box, using the supplied ‘return to sender’ sticker. Also included was P.S. Thank You bars, customised ‘P.S You’re Special’ hangers, a pen and gift card on which to write a personal message to the future recipient of the dress.

    A consumer call to entry was shared on Cadbury P.S. social media platforms, encouraging girls to submit their stories for a chance to win one of the collected dresses.

    Plato partnered with actress Hayley Owen & radio DJ Andy Leve. As spokespersons for the campaign they boosted the call for dresses through media interviews, while also canvassing with celebrity friends and their fans to donate dresses.

    Through a partnership with ‘The Space’ stores Plato secured nationwide drop-off points for dress donations. Each store received a call to action bin box and flyers to help promote the campaign.

    In addition, bin boxes and flyers were distributed to corporate partners, including client and all support agencies.

    Heart-warming stories from entries received were shared with media and celebrities at the influencer hosted High Tea at Glenda’s, where we also announced that more than 580 dresses were collected.

    Getting ready for the big day, Plato provided free storage, and the team inspected and sorted dresses to ensure they were all in mint condition.

    The finale, a Dress Distribution Day, at Shine Studios. Manned by volunteer shop assistants, the venue was transformed into a glorious boutique with 500 usable dresses. The 200 winning girls, accompanied by a friend or family member, came personally to select their dream dresses. Ensuring privacy for the girls, media was not invited.

    Finally, all unclaimed dresses were donated to an organisation which manages a similar cause, full time.

    Through #PSGiveADress, Cadbury P.S. helped share a little bit of magic for a group of young girls who didn’t only need it – but deserved it.

    More importantly than creating positive sentiment for the brand, this heart-warming initiative saw women from across South Africa working together in the spirit of helping young ladies walk through the doors at their Matric Farewells with pride.

  • The Museum of Joy & Wonder
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    The Museum of Joy & Wonder
    In August 2017, Cadbury Dairy Milk expanded its Bubbly range, introducing Bubbly Oreo. Plato was tasked to launch this chocolate innovation in an already competitive space, contending against Nestle Aero and Beacon Heavenly.

    To successfully launch to local audiences, drive renewed brand interest and create demand, Plato developed an experiential storytelling strategy that captured the brand and product through The Museum of Joy & Wonder.

    In line with three brand propositions, this one night only pop up event delivered an ‘unexpected burst of Bubbly fun’ perfectly expressing the ‘Joy’ of Cadbury and the ‘wonder’ of Oreo.
  • KFC Suppertime Stories
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    KFC Suppertime Stories
    KFC, a brand renowned for bringing families together over a meal, created award winning technology, Suppertime Stories, in mid-2017 using the iconic family bucket and turning it into a theatre experience, by linking packaging with mobile-technology.

    For a limited time, specially designed bucket sleeves directed customers to download a mobile app, to unlock 1 of 3 beautiful African folk stories, narrated by local voices who brought the characters to life.

    Stories included ‘why hippo doesn’t eat fish’, ‘why mosquito buzzes in people’s ears’, and ‘why thunder & lightning live in the sky’. When placed face-down on the table the phone’s sensor plays an audio-story, bringing the bucket to life with sound, light and vibrations- creating an enchanting home storytelling experience for families to enjoy during dinner.

    Plato created one-on-one theatre experiences for 22 influencers in the privacy of their own home to showcase this technology.
  • Internal Campaign Mandela Day 2017
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    Internal Campaign Mandela Day 2017
    The Add Hope initiative, under KFC, is a powerful initiative that sees customers and staff unite against hunger, feeding over 120 000 children daily. However, with low enrolment into KFC’s internal Add Hope Volunteers program, Plato was tasked with creating an engagement program to encourage involvement from head office staff members. Using Mandela Day as a platform, the Add Hope Volunteers program was successfully relaunched to the staff using a variety of exciting and informative activities.

    Through the Mandela Day campaign, Plato was able to successfully activate internal Yum! staff for the Add Hope Volunteer program. The communication, can-stalation and gamification of food parcel packing was used skillfully to ignite company love, and employee passion for Add Hope.