One of the areas in which brands have had to tread very carefully has been the economic impact on ordinary people, who have either lost their jobs because of lockdown, or been placed on short or forced leave.
Gumtree, the online sales portal, realising that many people would be pressed for cash, decided to do a quick, informal survey about the items that the average household has just “hanging around” and which no longer hold the appeal they once did. These are the sort of things which can be sold to raise a bit of cash in these tough times. Gumtree.co.za’s survey determined that the average person had 17 unused items around their home that could be listed on Gumtree for R4,195. From that came the idea of “celebrating” these “pre-owned” items … in a new and funky way. Thus was born “pre-loved love songs”, which partnered comedian Donovan Goliath and his talented violinist partner Davina Gordon. The two have been producing musical content throughout the lockdown and much of it has gone viral – and beyond the borders of South Africa. One video, “How to make a Missy Elliot music video”, was actually picked up by the star herself in May. She not only liked it, but followed Donovan on social media, something which left him gobsmacked. Using the pair to do the “pre-loved love songs” for Gumtree was the idea of Retroviral agency and I think the piece works really well. The music is catchy, the lines clever and the premise – of saying goodbye to something (rather than someone) you once loved – marries emotion with common sense. It should also get you thinking, as you watch it, about what you might want to get rid of. So, it works as a call to action for Gumtree (which is offering prizes for people who show their unwanted goods) as well as a bit of light entertainment. It also shows what can be done with a good idea and not much in the way of big-bucks production…
