The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire.

Aim for the stars, and you' land on the trees. If you should land on some building's roof however, make sure you are inside a car and then drive it dangerously close the edges, you'll definitely get people to sit up. Exactly what Continental Tyres did with their commercial when they introduced themselves to the South African market during the early 90's. 

Never before was a commercial done like this, (an approach that tends to make you win at Cannes), something Continental also achieved. They won a silver that year. Not only did they encapsulate and portray all the benefits one would like to associate with a reliable tyre, but they did so in an innovative manner, and in the process, took their advertising to a whole new level. (Hats off to the creatives for pulling this one off. Terry Murphy was the copywriter and Roddy Louther the Art-Director.)

The commercial was shot on the 24th floor of a building in the central part of Johannesburg. 'Zi Germans', in true fashion, managed to keep everything German. I'm not sure if there was some deal that happened behind the scenes, and if that was the reason they used an Opel too, either way, the intention of what they wanted to achieve was clear: 'Let's make it super'.

I remember this ad simply because it used to scare the living daylights out of me. Who in their right mind was that crazy to go and drive a car on top of building and at an alarming speed too? Little did I realize back then what remarkable things you can achieve with moving-camera, nor was I aware that later on in life I will be introduced to the fascinating world of stunts, stunt-rigging and now also advertising, in the process learning and picking up some fascinating techniques, including some of that which were used in this ad. (Lots of cable rigging systems I'm sure).

With this effort of theirs, Continental made a great ad. It was fresh, market related and gutsy. Their final product is proof of how rewarding it can be when you manage find a great concept and then execute it in a, fresh, out-the-box manner. Now, If that's not advertising, I'm not sure what is.

Who's telling your story?

'Tell me something', Christie a buddy of mine says to me the other day, 'When it comes to writing somebody else's life story, you'll agree that some people have more engaging ones than others. Right?' 'Right', I say, wondering where exactly this nonchalant question might be leading to. 'So if you were asked to write a story about somebody who,lets say, lived a fairly boring life, that would be futile? I mean, sure you can spice it up with a bit of writer's flair, but ultimately you're sitting with a dull story.' 'Right', I say hesitantly, feeling a tingle of heat creeping up the side of my neck. 'And you wouldn't want to lie to your readers now would you?' 'Yes. I mean no, no I wouldn't.' That was three times I've been agreeing with him and I'm waiting for the final slam-dunk and a 'guilty as charged' verdict following soon. 'So how do you do it then? How do you make that dull, boring story come to life? What's the secret?'

That was it? I felt like I've been let off the hook. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful, but I soon realized that the answer to the question he was asking was more complex than just a normal straightforward one, one I couldn't give to him right there and then. It bothered me. Later that evening, after I got home, I was sitting behind my desk and reflecting on my day, Christie's question popped into my mind again. How do you bring a story to life?  For some reason, I thought about Volkswagen.

When Volkswagen makes an ad, there's usually a great story involved. They are renowned for their classic, simple-styled, yet always inspiring ads. As a boy growing up, I remember there was one in particular that grabbed my attention. It was shot back in the 80's and was part of their Memories campaign. It was awesome. Still is.

At 1 minute 30 seconds, it's longer than your average commercial. Why we have such short commercials today, I don't know. Perhaps on-air time was cheaper back in the 80's, or perhaps there was a greater emphasis on taking your time when you have a great story to tell. I would say that when you want to touch peoples lives significantly enough with your advertising so they would want to choose to align themselves positively with your brand, taking a bit more time to show them something of good quality is probably the better idea. 

Memories was a great campaign because it did exactly that, it took the time to reflect on the events that played itself off in all of our lives. They positioned their brand in the middle of it all, demonstrated great strategic insight by doing so and left us all with a memorable story.

To say my life story is better than yours will be wrong. I've never been in your shoes so I simply can't know. You can pretend to do so when you're writing, do as much research and interview as many people as you like to try and get as close as possible to the emotional nuances that make up someone's life, but it will never be the same as actually living through those moments yourself.

Sometimes, someone comes along that tells a story so well, you feel like it resonates with your own. It's not your story, but it could have been. It draws you in, makes you feel alive, almost like the world knows about you, or at least somewhere, someone knows and understands something important about you. A core value. Perhaps a dream or a belief. You feel touched, strengthened, out there somebody cares. It's a great feeling. Who ever they are, they've It inspired you. You reassess your situation, look deep inside, and find new courage and to get back into the game of life. Sounds so simple, doesn't it? And yet it's not. Thing is if you do pull it off, brother, that's the start of a great story right there.

Beat This

Usain Bolt hardly needs any introduction anymore. The man is a superstar. When people start tattooing your face or name on their bodies, that's when you know you've really made it. Or wait, is that when you appear in crossword puzzles? Either way, Usain is well known. And fast. Faster than most. He is the only male sprint athlete to successfully defend both his 100m and 200m Gold medals in two consecutive Olympics. Impressive, I'd say. What has really worked in his favour is the big chunk of Jamaican flair that he also possesses.

People all over the world will tell you that besides entertaining them with world record-breaking performances, he's a whole lot of fun to watch too. Comfortably assuming the role of the 'jester of the track', he always has time to crack a joke or two. But it seems making fun of his rivals with his legs, is what he enjoys most of all.

No wonder then that ESPN decided to approach him and make use of his many talents. Known for their very dry, off-beat style of humour, ESPN commercials rarely fail to also entertain its loyal followers by making light of some serious situations.

This particular one with Mr Bolt is another well-rounded effort of theirs. I say well-rounded because everything complements each other very well. The casting of Usain in this particular incident is the first step in the right direction for me. Surely he is the inspiration behind their idea.

There's an insight into the working schedules of some people, in this case Usain's. Perhaps not much of a concept, although with a good enough insight, it almost seems that the insight becomes your concept and in turn that again sustains the integrity of the message.

The two guys having a casual chat at the ESPN offices set a nice tone for our hero Bolt to make his appearance. There is some really sharp camera work done by both the Focus-puller and DOP when tracking backwards and up before pulling focus to reveal the time clock at the top. Usain casually strolls away and the guys give a nice low-key performance to being amazed and envious of such a day's work. It deserves a good chuckle.