📸: Queen Loany
Hightlights around International Women’s Day; Human Rights Day, Eid Mubarak, World Colour Day, International Fragrance Day, World Down Syndrome Day, and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination showcasing how South African and global brands aligned their campaigns with cultural moments.
![[TREND] Generational Scripts Rewritten With ‘First In My Bloodline”](https://lamag.africa/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/laplugs-culture-insights-2.png?w=1024)
How Brands Showed Up In March 2026
March 2026’s packed cultural calendar was a revealing stress test, clearly separating brands with genuine cultural equity from those simply checking boxes.
Earned and Specific
Winning campaigns prioritized specificity. Clere turned International Women’s Day into tangible community action with their PAD Princess Drive. Engen smartly tapped internet culture for “Passenger Princesses,” while KFC Kenya abandoned templates for local Swahili slang and meme marketing, driving massive engagement. Consistent players like Nedbank prove that cultural participation must be earned, not seasonal.
Loud Volume, Low Signal
Conversely, moments like Human Rights Day and Eid produced a sea of interchangeable templates and generic quotes. Treating cultural days as mere compliance exercises resulted in forgettable, low-impact content that faded into the feed.
The Underlying Tension
Audiences can easily spot the “authenticity gap” between purpose and promotion. Showing up merely for the content calendar isn’t just a missed opportunity anymore; it’s becoming a reputational liability.
International Women’s Day (8 March)
South Africa and African Brands
Clere highlight initiative they are supporting; Johnnie Walker highlights “She Walks” (with a tag, toast and win competition); MPL Hair highlight haircare; Rajah talks about “the spice within her”; Stasof Fro celebrates girl power in hair; Princess Of African Hair spotlight lessons in caring; Easy Waves celebrates differences; Sasol brings out their employees to talk about gender equity; Era by DJ Zinhle celebrates qualities of women; Saints Wines celebrates women who uplift each other;
Sweepsouth highlight their Sweepstakes; Bernini raises a glass to women; Grahambeck celebrates women who work for them; Nobel Prize celebrate women who changed the world; Motsepe Foundation hosted a panel discussion; Vaseline celebrates soft girls who glow different; Tiger Brands, Endometriosis ZA and Clicks highlights IWD theme #GiveToGain; Marie Stopes reaffirms their commitment to supporting women; DStv and Netflix shout outs women in their current shows; MTN celebrates women who make moves;
Total Sports celebrates women who are strong, fearless and unstoppable; Investec highlights a women-led organisation they contributed to; Nescafe spotlight women in coffee; Mini spotlights who compete on and off the track; Brand South Africa celebrates women of excellence; SABC Plus give actors a space to talk about womanhood; Glamour spotlights women in leadership; Blue Ribbon salutes women who nourish; Team RSA highlight who make the impossible look easy;
Hisense gamified words for women; Essence Cosmetics celebrates women everywhere; The Creators ZA highlighted creators; Hirshs Homestores spotlights Margaret Hirsch to share story of resilience; Vumatel celebrate women who kept communities connected; Thirst Water celebrated women who show uo and keep moving;
Telkom share affirmations for women; KWV Wines raises a glass to women who fill lives with warmth; Twinsaver hosts competition for brave women who inspire others; Volvo highlight that they think about women when it comes to safety; Sheen Africa celebrates women who shine; Jabu Stone reminds women to be intentional about honoring their crown; Defy says “she is the power’; Aramex celebrate women redefining logistics; FlySAA women shaping futures;
Tears Foundation reaffirm their commitment to empowering women; Dischem celebrates women who lead, lifts and keeps things moving; Engen celebrate Passenger Pricesses (I LOVE THIS 👌🏾); Nedbank debunks stereotypes (one brand that has been committed to women issues); Guess celebrates style and individuality; Gagasi FM celebrates abantu besifazane (love the graphic here); Trustees celebrate women shaping tomorrow;
Senstationnel asks women to celebrate themselves; UJ pauses to relect and honor every women; South African Social Media Awards celebrate women everywhere; Tata Motors celebrates women on the move; Femme Africa highlight women who broke the “women can’t” lie; Brutal Fruit celebrates their community and their stories (with a competition to will their handbag cooler); Martell Nigeria celebrate women who challenge the status quo; Multichoice honors women who move culture forward; Women Diaries wish women a Happy IWD; Physio Lane celebrate women who show up;
International Brands
Essence Cosmetics international highlighted their employees using the This Is Who trend; Daisy Beauty gifts women to celebrate them; Avon celebrate women who make the world stronger; CAF Women Football celebrate women who change the world; Nestle celebrates women transforming coffee farming; DR Martins celebrate a women-led business in their foundation partnership; ASOS spotlight women-founded brands;
Apple TV spotlights women in their different shows being “louder together” (LOOOOOOVE); One highlights “when women thrive we all thrive”; Victoria Secrets celebrate girls past, present and powerful; Sephora celebrates Women’s History Month asking consumers about women who changed their lives; Platboy celebrates the evolution of the playmate franchise; Readers Digest reminds us that they are celebrating women all month; Whole Foods celebrate the female farmer;
Ted highlight talks from extraordinary women; L’Oreal collaborates with Bemi Omo Oroje to remind women they are worth it; RED spotlight what being a women means; Queen Loany celebrates women who refuse to stay small; Snapchat surprises coworkers with flowers; Wikipedia celebrate women who did it first; Fed Ex celebrate women who move the world forward; Guiness World Records celebrate women recordholders;
Human Rights Day (21 March)
Brands that celebrated this day: Kaapsekhoi; Kaizer Chiefs; Dewfresh; Essence Cosmetics; Sebenza WIFI; Sorbet Group; Takealot; Bwell Foods; Old Mutual; Era by DJ Zinhle; AVBOB; Knorrox; The Courier Guy; Fly SAA; Nutrific; Easy Waves; Stylin Dredz; Princess Of Africa Hair; We Are Egg; Tiger Brands; Bathu; SABC Plus; Saints Wine; Metropolitan; Thokoman Peanut Butter; Satiskin; AMC; Foschini; Bafana Bafana; Siwela Wines; Blue Ribbon; African Bank; SofnFree; Croxley; Ntsu; Team RSA; Roman’s Pizza;
Celebrities, influencers and creators who celebrated this day: Leleti Khumalo; Lee-Roy Jason; Pitso Mosimane; Creamora;
World Colour Day (21 March)
Eid Mubarak (21 March)
International Fragrance Day (21 March)
World Down Syndrome Day (21 March)
International Day For Elimination Of Racial Discrimination (21 March)
Prediction for 2027 And Beyond
Tolerance for generic, templated posts will vanish, shifting from a missed opportunity to non-engagement. Identity-driven marketing will push into underserved communities that SA brands will tap into. Winning will require authentic, year-round narratives rather than opportunistic, isolated calendar entries.
Follow sellooane for the latest updates.
![[GUIDE] Ryanair Shows Consumers Know Your Brand Better Than You Think](https://lamag.africa/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/ryanair-e1775003405682.jpeg?w=1024)
Leave a Reply