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WHEN FICTION BECOMES REALITY

27 July 2007

Question: What does a major brand’s repositioning story have in common with SA’s best loved soapie?

Answer: A marketing coup and an inspired strategy because PEP’s new brand ‘proposition’ is being launched on Generations.

On Thursday 26 July, the ad agency on Generations (SABC 1 at 8 pm) that pitched for and won the PEP business will present PEP’s new brand positioning and corporate advertising campaign.  On Friday 27 July, PEP customers will see the new campaign played out in-store … as featured on Generations the night before.  Posters and signage carrying the new corporate tag line:  ‘Best Prices and more”  - will be resplendent in every one of PEP’s 1 350 stores across the land. Generations viewers will be able to make the connection between what they’ve seen on TV and what they see in-store.

This is the first time a retail brand will have been written into the script and storyline of a leading soap opera in South Africa and is a revolutionary way for ensuring the PEP brand proposition is driven home in the minds of the consumers.  Queen wears PEP clothes on the programme in the six week build-up to the launch in the 26 July episode. 

PEP’s actual advertising agency is ZOOM, which is also the first agency in South Africa to open a dedicated ‘branded entertainment’ unit.  ZOOM conceived and developed the idea with PEP’s marketing director, Marcus Banga and with the SABC and the Generations production team.  The creative input and the format works so well that a deal has been signed to continue the collaboration for another 12 months so that the PEP story may continue.  PEP’s advertising and in-store marketing will also continue to reflect what happens to the brand on TV.  This innovative alliance between SA’s most popular soapie and one of South Africa’s best loved brands is bound to set the scene for future partnerships of this type and might also spark some envy in a few marketing departments. 

PEP’s new brand proposition
Following a year of intense research and development, when the specialist brand agency, Yellowwood, worked with PEP and with ZOOM to develop the new brand positioning so that it could reflect what PEP customers want.  In all areas of its business, PEP is utterly customer focused - focused on delighting its customers.  The process with Yellowwood helped identify and package customer segments so that future brand messages are appropriate and in line with what they want.

PEP’s marketing director, Marcus Banga adds:  “We needed to embrace more than a one dimensionsal brand proposition of ‘lowest prices’ and deliver a value statement.  In defining the business, PEP is the everyday best price variety store for family life essentials.”  The PEP mission statement to its customers is:  ‘We promise you and your family everything you need to look good and feel good – at the best possible prices, backed by trusted quality and friendly service’.

Banga continues:  “The new tagline ‘best prices and more’ means more stores, more variety, more friendly service, more smiles and excitement, more bargains and, as always, more buying power to give our customers the best prices.  PEP will continue to champion low prices while focusing on delighting our customers.”

From humble beginnings
In 1965 and with just one store, PEP began selling affordable, good quality merchandise with the aim of helping its customers to look and feel good.  They were treated with dignity and respect and for the first time in South Africa, black customers were allowed to choose their merchandise in-store rather than order it over the counter. Over forty years later and PEP is the largest single brand retailer in Southern Africa … and still growing. 
Today, PEP sells a diverse product range; everything from clothing and footwear for the whole family to homeware, health, wellness and beauty products, cellular, insurance, PEP ‘products to order’ … and more.