Filmed in six different locations, director Lourens van Rensburg of Fresh Water Films wanted the commercial to feel like an energetic journey to convey the strength-giving qualities of the brand. The cast and crew traversed through the cold Scottish Highlands and across Africa, ending in South Africa.
While keeping the original look and feel of the previous Makhatini adverts, van Rensburg modernised it to make it relevant to the South African landscape of today. "By bringing it 'home'," he says, "we wanted to show that we are now ready to integrate on local soil with our own diverse cultures and embrace foreign ones too."
Tamsin Holton, brand manager for Cadbury Countline, reiterates, "In keeping with the essence of the Lunch Bar brand, our latest commercial stays true to the heritage of Cadbury Lunch Bar through the Scots and Makhatini. Humour has also always been the cornerstone of Cadbury Lunch Bar communications and the latest commercial is no exception."
The next chapter in the Makhatini story continues from when Makhatini Senior tossed the caber into the lake, outperforming the rest of the team. The Scottish descendants seen in previous commercials then decide to return the caber to Makhatini Junior. It takes these three burly men to carry the heavy caber to Makhatini Junior, who then seamlessly lifts the caber, showing them up again.
The sound track "500 Miles", performed by the Scottish group the Proclaimers, was a natural choice for its ability to depict this journey. The Scottish Proclaimers, along with the Scottish voice over, are supposed to entrench the longstanding Cadbury Lunch Bar-Scottish association.
While the commercial was shot in two days, it took three months to complete, including pre and post production. The cheetah scene was shot separately from the men for safety reasons and manipulated in post production. Mount Kilimanjaro was also added to the scene.
