The challenge many leading brands face is creating effective marketing that builds long-term relevance in categories where price and product often dominate. As part of our Effie Awards South Africa series, where we explored marketing and advertising effectiveness with leading marketers and advertising trailblazers, we spoke to Elizabeth Mokwena, Executive Marketing Director at Unilever, to unpack what truly moves the needle.
“Human beings by nature are irrational,” she said. “When you appeal only to the rational, you miss the power of the emotional.”
This sits at the heart of Vaseline’s current momentum. The Vaseline Mntana ka Gogo campaign drew from heritage, memory and cultural connection, reminding South Africans of a brand that has lived in their homes for generations. Its global reaction showed that deeply human ideas travel.
Our conversation built on themes raised by Pete Case, CEO of Ogilvy South Africa, whose team’s Vaseline work has won globally, including at Cannes this year. It is a strong example of how local insight, global collaboration and long-term client and agency partnerships can lift heritage brands onto a global stage.
For a category dominated by functional messaging such as moisture, price and value, Vaseline is standing out because it is winning on meaning and culture.
When responding to a question from Mandisa Theko-Khitsane, CMO of Sanlam Retail Mass, Elizabeth highlighted Unilever’s long-term community commitments, from sanitation programmes that reach over a million learners to localisation, job creation and youth employment. For her, effectiveness includes both commercial outcomes and societal impact.
Conversation Highlights
- The link between emotion, heritage and brand effectiveness
- How “Mntana ka Gogo” resonated locally and globally
- Unilever’s purpose-driven programmes and long-term community impact
- The evolving role of CMOs in the C-suite
Hit play to watch the conversation:
Created in collaboration with our production partners, Soweto Media.
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