Pick n Pay is answering rugby’s most enduring question, ‘What are they feeding the Springboks?’, with Eat Like a Champion: a new Springbok campaign that puts food at the heart of the game, while also reminding South Africans that eating like champions isn’t reserved for elite athletes.
The television commercial, developed by Halo, is the centrepiece of an integrated campaign that transforms a familiar rugby joke into an emotional celebration of South African pride. Rather than retelling another Springbok story through South African eyes, it follows the rest of the rugby world as they marvel at the Boks’ size, strength and resilience, all asking the same question: ‘What are they feeding them’. And the answer, is Pick n Pay, as official sponsors of the Springboks.
Katherine Madley, Chief Marketing Officer at Pick n Pay, says on the creative direction, ‘We didn’t invent the insight, culture did. It became part of rugby culture, and for us, the answer was obvious. Pick n Pay exists to make fresh, nutritious food accessible to every South African family, and Eat Like a Champion became the perfect platform to bring together our passion for Fresh, our commitment to the Springboks and our belief that every family should be able to eat like a champion.’.
While the creative premise is simple, the ambition behind it was anything but, shared Dean Oelschig, Founder and CCO: Halo Advertising.
For Halo, the challenge wasn’t to create another sponsorship commercial, but to tell a Springbok story that felt fresh, emotional and unmistakably South African, one that gave audiences the same emotion as when the Springboks take the field.
‘We wanted goosebumps. Instead of telling another Springbok story from South African eyes, we told it through the eyes of the rest of the rugby world. That shift creates humour, pride and emotion while giving Pick n Pay a genuine role in the story. This isn’t a logo on a jersey, it’s a brand answering a question rugby fans have genuinely been asking for years,’ said Oelschig.
To make the story feel authentic, the production spanned four continents, five countries and seven cities, combining remote shoots, authentic social media content, archive rugby footage and newly filmed scenes. Halo worked with real Australians, New Zealanders, Englishmen, Irish, French and Argentinian rugby fans, alongside rugby personalities including Dan Carter in New Zealand and the hugely popular EggChasers podcast in Manchester, creating the feeling that the entire rugby world was united in one conversation.
The commercial also rewards repeat viewing with dozens of Easter eggs celebrating rugby culture. Dan Carter appears as himself, revisiting the infamous 2013 collision with Bismarck du Plessis, before the joke is cleverly paid off in the final Pick n Pay store scene, where Bismarck tells someone to ‘go for the ribs’, a playful nod to one of rugby’s most memorable moments.
Fans will also spot Franco Mostert’s nickname inspiring an unexpected mustard gag, RG Snyman embracing the Viking persona supporters have long associated with him, appearances from cult rugby creators EggChasers and Big Jim, references to iconic commentary moments, and even a former Lions player cast as an Irish commentator.
‘We wanted every viewing to reveal something new,’ said Oelschig. ‘Rugby has an incredible shared culture and history, and we wanted to celebrate that. If you’re a passionate fan, there are dozens of little details hidden throughout the film.’
Beyond the television commercial, Eat Like a Champion will come to life across Pick n Pay stores, digital platforms and its omnichannel ecosystem through exclusive nutrition content developed alongside the Springboks’ nutrition team, promotions, products and customer experiences designed to bring South Africans closer to the team they love.
‘This campaign is about more than celebrating world champions or our partnership with the Springboks. It’s about inspiring South Africans to make champion choices for their families, and bringing them closer to the team they love through the power of fresh, nutritious food, at affordable prices,’ said Madley.
‘Eat Like a Champion builds on our Come Home to Pick n Pay journey and celebrates the values we share with the Springboks – family, resilience, community and the power of bringing people together around good food. It reflects our commitment to helping South African families eat well every day – whether you’re shopping for tomorrow night’s dinner or feeding a future Springbok,’ concluded Madley.
Watch the Eat like a Champion Springbok TVC here.
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