"It was an incredible journey to make a crazy ad," says Brent Singer, Joint ECD at Net#work BBDO. "In order to make the audience understand and buy-in to Rick's far out quest, we needed to make his journey as authentic as possible and because of this, 'Rock My Soul' is set and filmed in Nepal in South Asia.
"The ad came from a place of trust and authenticity with a brand that we have worked alongside for many years now. Without the confidence placed in the agency by the client, we would not have been able to produce the work we have."
Also featured in the ad are Nepalese locals who are scripted as making fun of Ricky's journey through Nepal, at one point referring to him as an idiot. Scenes of the lead chasing chickens, licking a statue and walking almost naked into the Himalayas are further testament to the main message of the ad - 'Never let your soul go hungry'.
"Advertising is an adventure that your client has to embark on with you. We've had a wonderful supporter in Chicken Licken and the belief in creativity has helped us create fantastic adverts that have supported the growth of the brand in South Africa."
Jenny Glover, Joint ECD at Net#work BBDO says advertising is not just the business of conceptualising adverts anymore. "Our industry is constantly evolving and I believe that we are now in the business of selling ads to clients." She says that the conceptualisation of the ad has become the simpler part of the process, "it is the collaboration with our clients that is challenging and that ultimately sets the work apart.
"Business growth and brand awareness through advertising can only be successful when your clients believe that creativity inherently works. They need to value creativity and trust their agency."
