Mukuru, one of the leading next-generation financial services platforms in Southern Africa, launched a new campaign following the announcement of a series of sponsorships, including English Premier League side Crystal Palace and Springbok legend Tendai “The Beast” Mtawarira.
The ad campaign features Crystal Palace forwards Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew, alongside versatile midfielder Jeffrey Schlupp, as well as Mtawarira, Mukuru’s 2022 brand ambassador, and it aims to highlight the fintech’s evolution from a remittances-based business to a broader financial services provider for emerging African consumers.
“Mukuru has provided innovative digital solutions to our customers on their journey toward financial inclusion for since 2004,” says Bronwyn Pretorius, Executive Head of Marketing at Mukuru.
“We continue expanding our tech, products and services, and communications to customers globally. The new ad campaign highlights our commitment to unleashing possibilities through a broad range of relevant financial services for Africans worldwide,” Pretorius adds.
Mukuru has enabled financial inclusion through digital platforms and uses the latest mobile technologies in a way that is accessible to people in urban and remote rural areas.
“The campaign captures the passion the continent has for sports and culture, but also the tenacity of our customers, people that rise each day, regardless of their circumstances, to earn a living and provide for the needs of their families,” Pretorius says.
“Mukuru is a business for Africans, by Africans, and the representation of iconic African talent, as showcased in the new campaign, was key to illustrating the opportunities and possibilities for our customers. The new ad highlights the different ways the brand aims to take Africans forward – which is why we used top African forwards playing for Crystal Palace in the upcoming 2022/23 EPL season,” he explains.
The ad opens with Wilfried Zaha holding the new Mukuru Card with a wallet feature for digital payments and purchases. Zaha was born in the Ivory Coast and moved to the UK with his family, where he was snapped up by the Eagles’ Academy as an 8-year-old and eventually became one of the club’s top-performing football talents, representing Ivory Coast in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. His story is accentuated by the advert’s recurring motif of a boy travelling around with an orange soccer ball.
The ad also features Palace striker Jordan Ayew, a Ghanaian who enjoyed a landmark season in 2019/20, finishing as the Eagles’ top scorer as well as Jeffrey Schlupp, who represented Ghana in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, recognised as one of the most reliable and versatile players in recent Palace history.
The campaign recognises Africa’s rising global stature in both fintech and sport, and the star player in the ad is rugby legend Tendai “The Beast” Mtawarira. The Beast is a Zimbabwean-born South African professional rugby union player who represented the South African national team and the Sharks in Super Rugby. Mtawarira went on to become a highly respected global star and Roc Nation Sports International client. With 117 caps, he is the most capped prop in South African history and the third most-capped Springbok of all time. He is also a 2019 Rugby World Cup Winner.
“Mukuru started in my homeland in Zimbabwe and what this brand does is amazing in the way it connects Africans all around the globe, giving them the ability to provide for their families back home. I remember a certain time when I was trying to provide for my mom and family back home in Zim and Mukuru is that solution, making it easy to send money back home. This brand is truly something special,” says Beast.
“We are honoured to have worked with top African agencies to bring this campaign to life,” says Pretorius.
Joe Public United, the largest independent, black-owned brand and communications agency group in South Africa, was the lead agency responsible for the concept and Mukuru’s rebrand, whilst content production house Indie Village filmed and produced the TV ad.
Edited by Zintle Nkohla
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