Power to the people

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Nedbank in South Africa wanted to show that it was about more than just money and that I really was committed to making a difference to the region. The bank’s slogan is “Make things happen”, so it did.

Nedbank didn’t want to run a standard outdoor campaign talking about how much it did for the community. Instead it wanted to create a campaign whose execution actually gave back to the people in South Africa.

Nedbank came up with the idea to create the world’s first solar powered billboard that was designed to convert the heat of the African sun into much-needed electricity. The huge billboard was erected bearing the message: “What if a bank really did give power to the people”. The power generated by the panels was then used to supply a local primary school’s kitchen with electricity. This in turn helped to feed the 1100 pupils. Nedbank aimed to eventually have enough panels to be able to generate all of the electricity needed by the school. The idea is now being rolled out throughout the country.

The initiative saved the school R2300 per month in electricity bills and sparked a lot of media attention.

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