Topsy Foundation : Selinah from Tarryn Thornton on Vimeo.

Creative director Bridget Johnson from Ogilvy Johannesburg says the idea for the award-winning Selinah advert was born when the initial Ogilvy team (Stephanie Van Niekerk and Vidette Kay) stumbled upon a phenomenon called The Lazarus Effect in their research.

Selinah recently won Gold in the TV/Cinema category at The Loerie Awards after bagging a Gold for Film at Cannes Lions, as well as a Bronze Clio. The campaign, in aid of the Topsy Foundation, has been one of South Africa’s most successful in the last decade.

The public service announcement (PSA) depicts the dramatic improvement in people with HIV/AIDS that can be achieved through anti-retrovirals (ARVs)and proper care.

Creative director Bridget Johnson from Ogilvy Johannesburg says the idea for Selinah was born when the initial Ogilvy team (Stephanie Van Niekerk and Vidette Kay) stumbled upon a phenomenon called The Lazarus Effect in their research. The effect shows how someone in the very advanced stages of AIDS can be placed on ARVs and, with the right treatment, can be restored to health in only 90 days.

The Topsy Foundation works with AIDS sufferers every day and has been responsible for improving the life of many, many patients.

“We were shocked that no one seemed to know about The Lazarus Effect,” says Bridget. “We were confident that if people could only see proof of this by way of our TV commercial, then surely people would happily donate money to The Topsy Foundation. So we decided to prove it, for the world to see, without any tricks or special effects.”

In the commercial, directed by Egg Films’ Kim Geldenhuys, a woman afflicted with AIDS is filmed for 90 days to show her dramatic recovery thanks to the care she received from the organisation.

During their research, the creative team met Selinah, a woman at a vulnerable stage in her illness, who was willing to be filmed.

Bridget says the commercial was riddled with challenges. “Every stage of creative development was challenging.  We agonised over the cut; we agonised over the titles. What should we put in? What should we leave out?  Do we run the commercial backwards or play it straight?” 

One major challenge was Selinah’s illness, which required patience and understanding from all parties involved. “Luckily, everyone who was involved was very special,” says Bridget. “From a logistical point of view, we had to find two student cameramen, Terence Mchize and Nocks Chatiza, who in turn had to be there to record Selinah every morning from five am. This meant that they had to wake up around four am and travel, by public transport, to get to her by five/five thirty.”

Later in the process, there were creative challenges like finding the right music track. “We were initially very keen on a Coldplay track.  After more than one attempt, they denied our application to use it. Their loss. We finally settled on the perfect track – one written specifically for the spot by Human New York featuring Leah Siegel.  This is just one of the things for which we have to thank the foresight of Kim Geldenhuys, our director.”

Bridget maintains that without a doubt Selinah has been the highlight of her career, and not just because of the awards it has been raking in. “It truly is incredible to feel that one’s contribution, however small, might have made a real difference,” she says.

Still, according to the creative director, every job has its highlights, even the difficult ones. “You really do learn from everything you do. Sometimes they’re creative lessons; sometimes they’re life lessons; sometimes they’re those lessons sent to show you what you’re really crap at. But it’s all good.”

 She mentions Jump’s Exclusive Books commercials (Charades and Email for Dummies, the latest in the series, which won Silver at this year’s Loeries) as one of her favourite campaigns to work on as well. “It’s always wonderful to work with great talents.  I’ve loved watching some of the witty scripts written by our clever writers turn into funny ads at the hands of talented performance directors like Mike Middleton (Charades) and gifted cast.”

She also enjoyed her Baker’s Precious Biscuits commercials with Shy the Sun and BlackGinger. Precious Biscuits was ranked eighth in Millward Brown’s Best Liked Ads 2008 in South Africa and also won a Gold Craft for Art Direction at the Loeries and a Craft for Animation and Visual Effects.

If she had to think of an ideal campaign, it would have to come from a brave client who has “heaps of cash and loads of passion.”

Unsurprisingly, Bridget says being creative at home is how she relaxes after a full day of being creative at work. “I draw to feed my soul, read to escape, listen to music to keep me sane. And spend time with my beautiful family,” she says.

Keep a look out for Bridget’s latest commercial for KFC Twister, directed by Frieze Films’ Tony Baggott. In the ad, which began flighting this month, a girl chooses KFC over true love. It also features music by South African band, The Arrows.

Watch Selinah, Precious Biscuits and many of Bridget’s other award-winning commercials here.

Sally Fink