Windhoek Rugby Fan Club Competition

Rugby season is in full swing down here in the Southern Hemisphere, and one of the most prominent supporters of Rugby is giving you the opportunity to win a trip to the big “Down Under”. Three winners, and three mates of each winner, will be flown to Australia in July to watch South Africa take on the Aussies and New Zealand; or to New Zealand to watch us take on Wales and Fiji in September. There are also a few other adventures up for grabs, so be sure to check it out. Either way, this would be an awesome experience for any Rugby fan.

Beyond the competition itself, the Windhoek RFC website also gives lots of info on the competition itself, as well as a platform to interact with the fans. Mark von Bentheim, marketing manager of the Windhoek trademark in South Africa, had this to say about the Rugby Fan Club.

“RFC sets the platform for the ultimate Windhoek™ rugby fan experience – people who are passionate about the game of rugby come rain or shine. The Windhoek™ RFC gives these supporters the opportunity to be part of a dedicated fan experience in supporting South Africa take on their oldest and fiercest rivals with other ardent fans,”

So do yourself a flavour, and visit the site! http://www.windhoekrfc.co.za

Here are the ads you’ve probably seen on TV:

Windhoek RFC Frontline:

Windhoek RFC Backline

So what are you still doing here? Go create a fan-pic on the site, buy some Windhoek and enter the competition!

Brandhouse Launches “Responsible Drinking Media Awards”

Brandhouse, distributors of numerous alcoholic beverages and the guys behind that Drive-Dry ad, have launched something called the Responsible Drinking Media Awards. This initiatives hopes to recognise the efforts of various media players to promote a responsible drinking agenda. Read the press release below:

brandhouse, one of South Africa’s leading alcohol beverage companies, officially launched the brandhouse Responsible Drinking Media Awards today, the first awards initiative of its kind in the country. The awards will recognise journalistic efforts in supporting, promoting and contributing to the Responsible Drinking agenda and ultimately to helping change consumer behaviour.

Gerald Mahinda, MD of brandhouse says, “brandhouse is deeply committed to responsible drinking and is involved in numerous interventions driving this important message to consumers. The awards form part of our ongoing efforts to inform and raise consumer awareness about the potentially devastating effects of alcohol abuse.”

The objective of the awards is to encourage journalists to use their individual approach and messaging influences to proactively gain traction with their readers and shape perceptions and behaviour around drunk driving, as well as other alcohol-related issues such as under-age drinking, foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and binge drinking.

Priscilla Singh, Corporate and Brand PR Manager at brandhouse, says, “While there are many programmes, campaigns and initiatives being rolled out by industry, government and NGOs raising awareness about alcohol and responsible drinking, there seemed to be something missing. The media have an important role to inform and influence people and this award represents an innovative way to make Responsible Drinking a priority on the news agenda.

“Many journalists do cover and highlight news and issues related to responsible drinking, but more can be done. We believe their messages influence consumers and by being activists for responsible drinking they have the opportunity to make a difference. We’d like to acknowledge media who are true ambassadors for responsible drinking. We are very proud of this initiative and look forward to receiving a wide variety of entries from all sectors of media.”

The awards are open to all South African journalists who consistently demonstrate efforts to support and promote responsible drinking and associated issues. Articles must be published in South Africa media (print, broadcast, online). Any stories on responsible drinking can be covered including issues related to alcohol abuse and its consequences. The judge panel includes leading industry authorities Chris Moerdyk and Ruda Landman.

For more information and how to enter, go to www.brandhouse.co.za or email entries to RD.media@fd.com. Entries close on 30 April 2011 and only media who have entered will be reviewed. Entrants need to build a portfolio of published work dating from 1 July 2010 until end April 2011.

The media categories for the brandhouseResponsible Drinking Media Awards include:

–          Journalist of the year : R10 000

–          Best print: R10 000

–          Best broadcast: R10 000

–          Best online/blog: R10 000

–          Best investigative: R10 000

–          Best photograph: R10 000

–          Best community: R10 000

There will be three finalists per category.

Journalists entering the brandhouse Responsible Drinking Media Awards will be judged on the following:

–          Ability to highlight, profile and engage with the issues around Responsible Drinking

–          Approach to the various campaigns (proactive / unique / relative)

–          Level of support (balance between quality and frequency)

–          Level of influence (creating awareness / challenging target audience / encouraging change)

Seems like quite a good idea! Let’s hope the uptake is positive…