Bic inspires with Paralympian Mpumelelo Mhlongo

Despite all the attention and expense of the Olympics, they are still a celebration of human achievement.

But behind many of these triumphs are stories of struggle against adversity, highlighting the conquering power of the human mind.

Paralympic athlete Mpumelelo Mhlongo, who will be one of South Africa’s flag bearers at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, has an inspiring story of triumph against adversity.

Life was against him from the start: born in KwaZulu-Natal with a clubfoot due to a congenital deformity, he was looked down upon by others, including the doctor present at his birth, who told them he would always be a “potato”.

His mother used bonds to pay for him to attend Kilsney College, where he received an academic scholarship.

In college, he studied chemical engineering and eventually became a professional banker.

It was this commitment that led to his athletic success and his successful representation of South Africa at the 2020 Olympics.

His story has been well-told by pen manufacturer Bic as Buy a Pen, Donate a Pen An activity to provide writing tools to poor students.

To date, the organization has donated more than 15 million pens.

Mhlongo has become a brand ambassador for Bic and is dedicated to inspiring young kids with physical injuries.

His story was meticulously captured in a video led by creative agency Retroviral.

What I like about it is that it’s good, old-school storytelling without putting too much pressure on Bic.

It is enough if we can see that it is a good corporate citizen and that real people benefit from this activity.

This reminds us that doing business is not just about making money, it should also make a difference.

Therefore, orchids are to Bic and retroviruses.

Jacaranda FM has forgotten who its audience is

I had to chuckle a little at the “house ad” on radio station Jacaranda FM this week.

The punchline is this “we sound like you”… all said in an American accent.

andwell, no.

I am certainly The good citizens of Pretoria don’t sound like the refugees at Trump’s rallies (although they may share the same ideology).

Why do brands (and radio stations, who don’t seem to do this well – I’m looking at you, Hot 1027) think it’s cool for them to speak with an American accent?

What’s wrong with local sound?

Just wait until Zuma and MK come and arrest you, saying you are an “agent of the imperialist West”.

This is so stupid.

So you get an onion, Jacaranda. And so do you, Hot 1027.

Sasol’s incentive plan falls short of expectations

Finally, The Onion reminds everyone that deceptive marketing should be cracked down on by companies that promote “reward” programs but rarely give them to loyal customers.

Take me for example.

I used to occasionally fuel up at Sasol stations in our area, mostly because I spoke to Porsche’s German test engineers a few years ago and they said they only used Sasol when doing hot weather testing.

What is good enough for Porsche?

I signed up for Sasol Rewards about 18 months ago and this week I did a quick inventory.

During this time, I made 26 visits to the local Sasol company, where I spent R27,095,39 on fuel.

This netted me a reward of… wait for it… R342,30.

That’s right – a return of 1.26%.

But wait, there’s more.

Because I refueled at Sasol (rather than the closer BP station), I drove an extra 80 km and therefore spent an extra R184 on fuel.

Therefore, the real “reward” from Sasol was actually only R148.

If this is what you call a reward for Sasol, then you should get an onion as a reward for your stingy marketing.