“Promote Whoever Pitched This”: SA Applauds Vaseline for New Advert Celebrating True African Culture

• South Africans were overjoyed after seeing the new Vaseline advert in celebration of Heritage Day
• The people of Mzansi applauded the brand for its brilliant awareness and how it chose to celebrate true African culture
• The Vaseline advert received lots of love from celebrities and ordinary people who could not get enough of their smart move

Vaseline has some essential products that can be found in a lot of homes in South Africa. The petroleum jelly, to be specific, is no stranger to black households, as it is what the old generation used to achieve a great glow.

A nostalgic moment that a lot of Black South African children carry in their hearts is the moments shared with their caregivers after bath time. Mom, dad, or any guardian would smear a generous amount of petroleum jelly all over their face that not only symbolised care, but also love.

In a couple of collaborations with Black South African influencers, content creators went back to their roots and shared the Black community’s experience with Vaseline. This year, the brand highlighted the shared memory in one of its Heritage Day campaigns that won thousands of hearts all over Mzansi.

SA applauds Vaseline’s marketing efforts on Instagram

The advertisement not only showed how much South Africans trusted the Vaseline brand, but also acknowledged Black culture and practices that have been passed down from generation to generation.

In the advertisement, a young boy’s face is seen being moisturised by wrinkled hands symbolising the generational gap. This also highlighted the care grandparents have for their young ones.

In the African culture, the grandparents become primary caregivers for their grandchildren while the parents hustle in the big cities. The Vaseline advert highlighted the deep heritage of Black people.

They added a slogan:

“Mtana ka Gogo”, which can be directly translated to Gogo’s child. Vaseline also added:

“Some traditions are not passed down; they are rubbed in. From Mntana ka Gogo, to Senatla sa Mama.

We all know that morning routine that gave us our original glow. In celebration of Heritage Day, we want to hear the phrase your Gogo used to say while moisturising your face.”

SA wowed by brilliant Vaseline advert for Heritage Day

The people of Mzansi were touched by the cultural acknowledgement and said:

@tefftheory wrote:

“Moments like these remind me of how our shared practices are simultaneously connective and instructive. They carry memory, identity, and familiarity.”

@iamsamkemhlongo said:

“Promote whoever pitched this.”

@callmemangwane commented:

“Now here's an ad all black South Africans can resonate with, you nailed it.”

@joekenneth_ shared:

“I can still feel the rough and weathered hands of my Haitian grandmother lovingly applying Vaseline to my face. To moisturise, to protect from the elements, but most importantly to tell the world that I am a child who comes from care.”

@thelazymakoti was pleased:

“10/10 when the right creatives are in the room. This is perfect.”

@nikki.onome said:

“The visual the whole diaspora can relate to, amazing.”

@zenandemfenyana wrote:

"Such nostalgia, and I've turned into that Mama ke ngoku, ngwana ke Vaseline please.”

@ndumimlokoti remembered:

“Getting dressed before school with Morning Live playing on SABC 2.”

@babalwa_mcaciso commented:

“Me every morning with my kids!”

@mmeliofficial was impressed:

“Deserves to be on billboards, NATIONWIDE for the next 50 years.”

@mirah_aamirah shared:

“I tell my son, 'ngeke uphashe ngisaphila, ' and I'm this passionate when I apply, and very proud.”

@faithfundi_therealtor wrote:

“This reminds me of my grandmother applying Vaseline on my face in the morning, getting ready for school.”

@mmabsie was pleased:

“Finally. A creative who knows what it really means to be authentic.”

@the.light.of.words_ remembered:

“Growing up, my grandmother would hit us for coming home very late from the streets, give us a hot bath, and massage our bodies with Original Vaseline mixed with eucalyptus and lavender oil. Best 10-hour sleep, I tell you. Next morning I'd be going to school with a face marinated with Vaseline & a stomach full of Kellogs and warm milk.”

@mrsn_franschhoek commented:

“Nailed it! There isn't a black person on the planet who can't relate to this. Whether it's with cocoa butter, Vaseline, or shea butter, this is how it was applied with love.”

@theonlymisslenka applauded:

“This is one of the greatest campaigns I've seen in a while!”

See the Instagram post below:

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• A Zulu bride wowed the internet and South Africa with her lengthy wedding cape made out of R100 notes on her special day.
• South Africans called for the banning of the Shembe Church after a video of a young Zulu bride circulated online.

Source: Briefly News