The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has hailed the impression and success of the TV commercial they did with South African-born, US-based stand-up comedian Trevor Noah, despite the controversy it stirred in the country.

Last year, TBCSA courted controversy after Parliament’s portfolio committee on tourism revealed that Noah was set to be paid R33 million for a 5-minute video advert promoting South Africa to key international markets.

However, these were reports that were quickly dispelled by the TBCSA though it has not divulged how much the international star was paid for this campaign.

TBCSA’s campaign with Noah came on the back of another scandal after it was revealed that the SA Tourism board had agreed to a deal worth nearly R1 billion to sponsor one of the English Premier League’s best-known teams, Tottenham Hotspur, over three years.

Speaking at the 3rd Tourism Leadership Conference in Sun City yesterday, TBCSA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa said he wanted to account to stakeholders about what transpired since the campaign was flighted so they could judge whether the Council had made the right decision.

Tshivhengwa said TBCSA, together with Topside, had partnered to leverage Noah's international fame and personal connection to South Africa to build credibility and draw attention, his unique perspective and storytelling brought an authentic and entertaining portrayal of the destinations.

He said they utilised social listening as a key method for market research to gain insights on target audience, market trends, and competitive landscape to create a fun, light-hearted commercial that highlighted South Africa's diverse range of attractions iconic landmarks, vibrant city life, and cultural festivals, showcasing all of the well-known and often-missing park destinations, catering to different types of travellers, capturing the essence of South African travel.

“But we didn't stop there. We utilised a mix of social media, digital advertising, influencer collaborations, and other media to maximise the reach and engagement, especially on travel and lifestyle blogs and major travel websites,” Tshivhengwa said.

“We developed a content calendar featuring creator updates, engaging posts, videos, and interactive elements while using Trevor Noah's storytelling to create compelling narratives around each feature destination, offering exclusive content, including behind-the-scenes glimpses, travel tips, and personal anecdotes from Trevor Noah, creating a more personal and engaging connection with potential travellers.

“Running from November 2023 to August 2024, the campaign was a massive success, reaching 281 million people, garnering over 485 million impressions across various platforms within nine markets, achieving R8 for every R1 spent, which is 2.9 times more than the norm in PR, and winning multiple global awards, showcasing the campaign's impact so far, putting South Africa back on the map as one of the world's must-see travel destinations.”

However, some delegates questioned whether it was worthwhile to invest in South Africans who had emigrated to take lead in promoting the country, and also asked if Noah’s ad had translated in a surge in international travellers coming to South Africa.

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Tshivhengwa also said the a reason TBCSA did this ad was simply because the greatest risk for any organisation is its own leadership, not its external environment.

“So we had to take a lead and get this work done. And we did so to ensure that within the international markets, our presence is felt and we do have something that's circulating across all the media markets that we have that stimulates the demand for Trevor into South Africa,” he said.

“It's not that we're a market organisation, but we took a decision to make sure that we continue with this work and we take advantage of the robust stuff that we have in Trevor Noah.”

Tshivhengwa said that on the markets that TBCSA had traced, Noah’s video went viral, from South Africa, Zimbabwe, throughout the African continent, India, China, and many other places around the world.

He drove home the point that TBCSA felt that South Africa’s tourism had to remain top of the mind to travellers everywhere across the world so that they can protect the industry and have growth that they seek.

“We can't just talk about 15.6 million tourists without doing something about it. And this is part of us doing something about it. When we started, we started with three major markets. We started with Germany, and then the UK, we had the USA. We put our resources into those markets and a budget that we had to convert it into the pounds, the euros, the dollars,” he said.

“In the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, they looked at this as one of the best collaborations that was ever done. And the world is learning about this, and this has won countless awards across the world.

“Every week we keep getting names that say that our ad has been selected as the finalist or as the winner. And I think even tomorrow, I think it's in Spain, it will be awarded this ad.”

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