Soweto Wine Festival’s #72hrsSoweto Campaign
by on 01.10.2015
Destinate was recently approached by the Soweto Wine Festival to host a destination marketing campaign during the 11th annual Soweto Wine Festival. Working with nine top influencers including bloggers, Instagrammers, digital storytellers and local Sowetan movers and shakers, the #72hrsSoweto campaign had an Advertising Value Equivalent of R2.2 million on social media alone, with a reach of around 9.9 million people.
The Campaign
Our aim was to position Soweto as Africa’s most exciting neighbourhood, with the key messaging being “and it’s right on your doorstep”. Through the #72hrsSoweto campaign we aimed to expose South Africans and Africans to the vibrant scene in Soweto - the street art, design and culture of the destination, using the wine festival to promote Soweto and introduce visitors to Soweto and Soweto to wine.
We invited top local influencers to experience 72 hours in Soweto (#72hrsSoweto) during the Soweto Wine and Lifestyle Festival, in order to experience Soweto as a destination. We arranged for them to meet locals, check out the street art, fashion and theatre scene in Soweto, as well as attending the Soweto Wine and Lifestyle Festival. They also had the opportunity to experience a few bars and restaurants as well as a few of Soweto's hottest nightlife spots.
The campaign, managed by Destinate in association with Gauteng Tourism and Flow, formed part of South African Tourism’s official tourism month programme.
Working with Influencers
Destinate identified and invited ifluencers to be part of the campaign and provided them with the relevant collateral to use in a pre-event post (either on their blogs or on social media). During the event they shared their experiences on social media. Part of the brief and influencer agreement included post-event coverage including a campaing video and stories about their experience, either on their blogs or social media.
The Influencers
1. Heather Mason, 2Summers
2. Andy Carrie, Instagram
www.instagram.com/andycarrie_on
3. Natalie Roos for Destinate, Tails of a Mermaid
4. Kate Els, IndiKate
5. I See A Different You, Instagram
www.instagram.com/iseeadifferentyou
6. Hussain van Roos, Fixin Diaries
7. Sifiso Dlangamanga, Locrate Market
The Itinerary
The itinerary included a range of Soweto-centric activities, which were arranged by our on-the-ground and in-the-know team of locals.
A few of the highlights included:
- Welcome drinks at Morora Wine Emporium, Soweto's only wine shop, owned by festival co-founder Mnikelo Mangciphu with local influencers
- Dinner and music at Lebo's backpackers, with music, firepits and locals
- A visit to the Sibahle Community Center to see the work the organisation is doing
- Lunch and a trip to the top at the Soweto Towers
- A morning in Pimville with the guys from I See A Different You to check out the local fashion scene and take some pics at the best spots around town
- An evening at the Soweto Wine Festival opening ceremony
- A cycle ride through Pimville with the team from Fixin Diaries to hear the story of how they got started
The Stories
Announcement posts shared by the bloggers pre-campaign:
2Summers: www.2summers.net/2015/09/01/72-hours-in-soweto
Tails of a Mermaid: www.tailsofamermaid.com/2015/08/soweto-wine-festival-2015.html
IndiKate: www.indikate.net/2015/08/raise-your-glasses-for-sowetos-wine-revolution
Images from the campaign:
Stories from the campaign will continue to unfold as the influencers reflect and share their experiences.
