Top advert director questions SA’s conservative TV ads

Durban – South African TV adverts are surprisingly conservative compared to the country's liberal society, according to a top international advertising director.

Egyptian film director Ali Ali said that having judged the Loeries TV advertising category, he felt “there is still a lot of fear in TV in South Africa”, which he said he “found very strange”.

“On the streets, it’s a much more liberal society over here,” he told Fin24 on Friday after a speech at the DStv Seminar of Creativity in Durban.

Ali is renowned for being an eccentric and gutsy film director. His Panda Cheese campaign, “Never Say No To Panda”, has over 90 million views on YouTube and was named one of the most watched TV spots of all time by the Guardian UK.

He’s recently been named by the 2015 Gunn Report as one of the top 10 advertising directors in the world today. With over six Cannes Lions, and the coveted Yellow Pencil for best Direction at the D&AD this year, Ali is one of the most awarded directors in the World.

Ali challenged the country’s leading creatives, saying that too much power is given to clients.

“I think it’s important to present one idea and make the client uncomfortable,” he said. “Options are for hairdressers and we’re not in the hairdressing business.”

“If they’re comfortable with your idea, then they’ve probably seen it before and then it’s not great,” he told Fin24.

“If you’re on to something fresh and genuinely new, then the client will be uncomfortable with it, because clients don’t have that much of an imagination.”  

AUDIO: Interview with Ali Ali and Fin24

PHOTO: Ali Ali gives his speech at the DStv Seminar of Creativity in Durban

VIDEO: Ali Ali's famous Panda Cheese campaign

TWITTER: Tweets from Ali Ali's speech

The #loeries have raised the bar this year with their judges. Loving Cannes Gold-winning Egyptian director Ali Ali: http://t.co/MMYwiNQ5Oe

— Kevin Kriedemann (@kevinkriedemann) September 12, 2014

#Loeries #dandad. The very brilliant Ali Ali. pic.twitter.com/7wBZkmLvHe

— Tim Lindsay (@timothylindsay) August 14, 2015

— Dylan Ferguson (@dylferg) August 14, 2015