Niknaks iKasi Lama Kasi Digital Campaign

The Client

Niknaks is a classic South African maize-based snack that has been manufactured by Simba since 1972. Flavours include Original Cheese, Beef BBQ, Spicy Chicken, Chutney and Sweet Chilli. Niknaks can be identified by the presence of its iconic brand mascot, Nik the Nak.

The Challenge

Use the existing “big idea” platform of iKasi Lamakasi to develop always-on content for Niknaks that drives awareness of the various flavours and connects with the eKasi youth target audience in a relevant and meaningful way.

That and the fact that Niknaks flavours are still (famously) R1 with an extra 25% in the packet.

The creative solution

The big idea for this project was to interpret the various Niknaks flavours as characters. Of course physical flavour of the product is just an entrypoint. This campaign would have the potential to expand into a celebration to the cultural flavours of art, music and fashion that are unique to the kasi’s of South Africa.

My role

My main role was mainly interpreting the various Niknaks flavours as characters, although later I did participate in some video and design work.

The first iteration of the project involved creating a different personality and look for each flavour, essentially creating a Niknaks squad.

As the project progressed, we then decided to instead focus on the mascot character, Nik the Nak. I created a series of poses for Nik, putting a different spin on each of his outfits while remaining faithful to Niknak’s iconic pink and yellow packaging. To keep the character more or less recognisable, I kept his hat, glasses and shoes consistent.

Because of the length of the campaign, an additional set of outfits was created, also inspired by the product packaging but with more of a streetwear feel.