When advertising tries too hard to seem clever instead of being clear, people tend to switch off. The more layers added, the further the work drifts from the truth it was meant to convey. Work that resonates is built on trust and instinct, by teams that understand each other well enough to protect simplicity.
The Mntana Ka Gogo work for Vaseline is a good example. It began as a social media post of a grandmother’s hands applying Vaseline to a child’s face. No long explanation, only the phrase Mntana Ka Gogo, which means grandma’s child. This is a moment people recognised, one that transcended language and connected with culture.
Kenosi Matsebatlela, Head of Marketing for Vaseline, remembers how quickly it landed for her.
“It was anchored in how people actually use the brand. I trusted the team. I had not even seen the creative until it went live.”
That level of trust is only possible in a client-agency relationship where both sides know what the other is trying to achieve. It is the difference between micromanaging an idea and letting it breathe.
“Every brief needs room to play. When you give ideas space, the right route becomes obvious”, says Tumi Moutlana, Creative Director at VML. This creative freedom contributed to the success of the work, and leads to some of the most compelling advertising campaigns.
The work resonated because the audience had lived that moment. They knew the feeling of being prepared for the day by someone who cared enough to be thorough.
Strong partnerships create conditions where creative teams can strip away noise and hold onto the truth of an idea. That is why simple work travels. It carries something people already believe.
Conversation highlights
• Why instinct matters in culturally rooted work
• The risk of polishing a simple idea until it loses meaning
• How client-agency chemistry speeds up decision-making
• What happens when brands reflect lived experience
• How social-first work finds scale through honesty
Hit play below to listen:
The Lead Creative presents this conversation in collaboration with MarkLives, where it appears in their Ad of the Year feature. Find out more about the thinking and collaboration that led to this great piece.
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Follow The Lead Creative on:
Please share, subscribe and send us recommendations of creative industry thought leaders to feature.
Our podcast audio editing and audio production are done by: Maishe Rakgoale.