#OrchidsandOnions: "Istanbul is the new cool" – A look at GoTürkiye’s latest campaign
GoTürkiye's compelling campaign
Obviously, ads from Nigerian companies are not really my thing, but during a break on BBC News the other day, there was a really slick and tempting ad put together by GoTürkiye, the Turkish tourism agency.
Focusing on the country’s major tourism attraction, Istanbul, it continued the campaign “Istanbul is the new cool”.
It’s a catchy slogan and, backed up by some well-shot visuals – ranging from shopping in the various markets to having breakfast overlooking the Bosphorus Strait – it presented a pulsating image of Türkiye (they pushed through their spelling of the name some years ago – and why not?) as offering a kaleidoscope of experiences.
The ads are already a mouth-watering call-to-action, but in case you’re not entirely convinced, they direct you to sites where you can see the “bucket list” attractions in the country.
And there are many more than you might have expected.
Given the fact that Turkish Airlines has regular, scheduled services to South Africa, there is also the convenience angle – and by all accounts, Turkish is a quality carrier.
The ads would certainly prod me into doing some more research into Türkiye as a destination itself or as an add-on, before or after, a European trip.
All that adds up to effective marketing and is deserving of an Orchid for GoTürkiye.
Gautrain’s witty approach to crisis communication
That I am attracted by foreign ads shows that perhaps a bit of ennui is setting in for me when it comes to our local ad industry output at the moment.
However, it was thanks to an ad business expert, Sarah Britten, that I saw some of the best copywriting I have seen in a while in South Africa.
And, from a quasi-SOE, nogal...
In announcing that its train services would be restored between Rosebank and Park stations, Gautrain said: “Hole lotta trouble? Not any more.”
That was a reference to the fact that the disruption to services had been caused by a dodgy borehole drilling operation, which had penetrated a Gautrain tunnel and deposited water and mud on the tracks.
Describing the “Great Borehole Incident of 2025” as something of the past, Gautrain declared commuters could return to the “subterranean bliss” they had come to know and love.
What a great way of easing the pain of the situation – and there was plenty of that as travellers had to make do with the inconvenience of riding a bus while the line was closed.
While the disruption was ongoing, Gautrain’s updates were big on humour, too.
“We've got a bit of a hole in the situation. Someone decided to audition for Journey to the Center of the Earth a little too close to our Rosebank-Park line.” That was one.
The alternative bus rides were described as a “scenic surface route, a chance to see Johannesburg for a change! You may discover a new favourite coffee shop. Or a huge pothole — it's Johannesburg, after all.”
First of all, whoever the copywriter was – Big Orchid to you… or to the team behind this.
It’s great to see humour being used effectively to take the sting out of a negative marketing situation.
But an even bigger Orchid to the bosses at Gautrain for being laid back enough – as well as perceptive from a reputation management point of view – to realise this bunch of lemons could be turned into lemonade.
Too many senior execs in this town would have shot this idea down before it got going.
The City of Johannesburg’s failed PR attempt
Remember this Orchid, then, when your creatives come through with an off-the-wall idea.
Execs who should be shot down themselves for allowing their social media team to go public with perhaps the most pathetic attempt at justifying their existence I have yet seen.
"You don’t praise a fish for swimming," is something the CoJ people should have borne in mind before posting before and after photos of an alleged clean-up operation in the CBD.
Not only did it not look very good – it also ignored aspects like the fact that a rubbish skip was sitting illegally in the middle of a street.
Unsurprisingly, the post took a lot of stick from people on X, pointing out that if you have nothing to say, don’t say it.
Funnily enough, the post has since been removed – a clear indication of embarrassment (never thought that was possible with some of our municipal departments) or the penny-dropping that it was doing the opposite of what was intended and making the CoJ look terrible.
City of Joburg, an Onion for you then. Toss that in your skip.
