Joe Public Durban and Dunlop introduce Pothole FM

. Leading creative agency Joe Public Durban and Dunlop Tyres recently launched Pothole FM, a campaign inspired by an issue South Africans can truly relate to — road safety. 

And with Dunlop Sure, drivers have peace of mind that, despite dangerous road conditions and potholes, they are covered. 

Behind the scenes, the campaign put the team through its paces — from having to present the concept to the Dunlop CEO at the airport, to scouring KwaZulu-Natal for a pothole big enough to film a commercial in, knocking on the mayor of Howick’s front door for filming permissions to finding a comedian that didn’t mind getting rubble in his shoes. This was an only-in-Mzansi production through and through.

Brandon Govender, integrated executive creative director, Joe Public Durban recounts the exciting execution: “We hopped onto a bus for a two-hour ride to frosty Howick to introduce SA to Pothole FM, the world’s first radio studio ... in a pothole. Yeah, an actual pothole!

“We set out to find the perfect road hazard and, with the help of a camera crew and famous comedian Robby Collins, we recorded our radio ad from that pothole. Total production time? One day. We hit the road at 5am and arrived in Howick at 7am to record the radio spot and film the campaign videos. After another two hours on the road, we headed to studio to record the audio. And within four days, Pothole FM flighted.”

Lubin Ozoux, CEO of Sumitomo Rubber SA, which manufactures Dunlop Tyres in Africa, says the Pothole FM campaign is Dunlop’s way of ensuring South Africans are as confident on the road as they are off it. 

“The campaign was not only innovative but bold — we just wanted to showcase that you can have peace of mind with Dunlop Sure Tyre cover. And because we’re so confident about the quality of our tyres, we’ve made Dunlop Sure free,” says Ozoux.

It didn’t stop there: Pothole FM was leveraged across digital platforms with behind-the-scenes content, an in-pothole East Coast Radio interview, PR amplification and more. The goal was to launch Dunlop Sure Tyre cover with an idea that spoke about the roads in a way only South Africans would understand ... because only in Mzansi will you find a pothole big enough to record a radio advert in. And only in Mzansi will you find people brave enough to pull it off.

Watch the Pothole FM campaign below:

This article was paid for by Joe Public Durban.