EBM Unsame

Some campaigns deliver sweet results. Others deliver R2,4 million worth of earned PR 🍫

For Sandton City Shopping Centre’s Chocolate Café: Sweet Edition, our PR strategy focused on securing premium editorial coverage that matched the sophistication and aspirational appeal of the brand and the experience itself.
Through targeted media outreach, strong relationships with high impact media and beautifully curated media drops, we generated widespread coverage across some of South Africa’s most prestigious lifestyle, entertainment and consumer platforms.

The result?
• 48 million earned media reach
• R2,4 million in earned PR value
• A 53% increase in visitors since the previous Chocolate Café in 2024

That’s the power of strategic, audience-led PR. Turning a seasonal activation into a nationally talked-about experience ✨

When PR truly understands its audience, the results can be game-changing. In this case, record-breaking. 🎮

For Liberty Midlands Mall’s 2026 Gaming Festival, we partnered with gaming tenant Game4u and the African Cyber Gaming League to create an event that resonated with South Africa’s gaming community.

Our PR strategy focused on reaching gamers where they already consume content and engage with their communities. This included a major partnership with IGN Africa, South Africa’s leading gaming platform, featuring homepage takeovers, geo-targeted content, and extensive coverage across gaming websites, digital media and local press, our PR created national visibility for this event hosted in Pietermaritzburg.

The result? A record breaking 23 366 visitors across just three days, a more than 120% increase from last year, with gamers travelling from Johannesburg, Cape Town and around the country to be part of the experience.

That’s the power of audience led, unsame PR. You do not just create awareness. You create action 🚀

Some events do not need massive advertising budgets. They need the right story, the right audience and the right PR ⚽

For Benni McCarthy’s book launch at Cavendish Square, our strategy focused on building excitement through targeted Cape Town media outreach, strong radio engagement, exciting angles and well-timed storytelling that tapped into the deep connection local audiences have with Benni.

We secured both pre and post event coverage, created momentum across the city and turned the launch into a true cultural moment.

The result? A packed centre court, strong book sales and an atmosphere that felt electric from start to finish.
• Over R2,6 million in earned media
• More than 47 million earned reach

PR did not just support this event. It packed the room. When media relations, hype and cultural relevance come together, people show up✨

The Rabanne Million Gold activation at Nelson Mandela Square – a Finalist in the ICSC Visual Victories Awards, recognising excellence in retail visual merchandising – was a radiant expression of the brand’s bold identity in South Africa.

Set against the backdrop of Nelson Mandela Square’s expansive open-air square, in the heart of Africa’s richest square mile, it was designed to captivate and connect far beyond a moment.

To bring this vision to life, Paco Rabanne unveiled an exquisitely gilded design of pure brand presence. Large-scale, striking installation featured oversized gold chains, shimmering spherical elements, and iconic Rabanne‑inspired links that transformed the space into an immersive world of gold. Each piece was intentionally crafted to echo the brand’s heritage, its daring aesthetic, and its unmistakable visual language. The result was an activation that not only commanded attention but invited consumers to step inside Rabanne’s gilded universe.

Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this vision to life.

Celebrating heritage through hair, conversation and community. ✨

Hair-itage was recognised as a finalist by the ICSC for its innovative and community-driven approach. For Heritage Month, Mall of Africa brought this idea to life through HAIR-itage, an immersive pop-up salon experience celebrating culture, inclusivity, and self-expression.

Featuring styling bars, a hair masterclass, and thought-provoking panel discussions, the activation created a shared space for authentic conversations while delivering meaningful retail engagement. Beyond the experience itself, the campaign achieved strong commercial results, increasing spend per head and driving increase in social engagement.

Congratulations to the entire team behind a campaign that celebrated culture in such a meaningful and impactful way.

Block by block, an unforgettable experience came to life. 🎮

Through an immersive A Minecraft Movie activation, Eastgate Shopping Centre received Silver Visual Victory recognition from the ICSC, which secured South African exclusivity for the film’s launch campaign in partnership with Warner Bros. and McDonald’s South Africa.

The activation transformed the centre into an interactive Minecraft-inspired world filled with themed build zones, family experiences and hands-on activities that encouraged creativity, exploration and play.
The campaign generated significant excitement and delivered strong commercial impact, contributing to year-on-year increase in foot traffic over the activation period, while also supporting increased movie ticket sales for Ster-Kinekor.

A huge well done to everyone involved in creating such a playful and memorable retail experience.

Every destination has a story, this one was about rebuilding trust.

received a Silver MAXI recognition from the ICSC for its strategic reputation rebuilding campaign, designed to help reshape public perception of the centre through consistent storytelling, proactive media engagement and transparency. ✈️

The campaign marked the beginning of a broader reinvention narrative, shifting sentiment toward a more optimistic and future-focused outlook. In the months that followed, footfall grew by over 15% month-on-month, tenant vacancies more than halved, and media perception shifted significantly. A meaningful result for a campaign rooted in consistency, credibility and long-term brand rebuilding.

Congratulations to our clients, the teams and partners who helped shape a new chapter for Fourways Mall.

Words can heal, and this campaign proved it. 🎵

Sandton City Shopping Centre’s Words That Heal campaign received a Gold MAXI Award from the ICSC for its meaningful and innovative approach to youth mental health.

Developed in partnership with The Riky Rick Foundation, the campaign transformed Sandton City into a platform for healing through music, art and creativity, while honouring Riky Rick’s legacy and encouraging important conversations around mental wellbeing. Through immersive experiences, an emotive hip hop track, and fundraising initiatives supporting therapy access, the campaign demonstrated the power of retail spaces to create genuine social impact.

A special congratulations to everyone who helped bring this important campaign to life.

Building something unforgettable, one brick at a time. 🧱🏎‍

Gateway Theatre of Shopping VIP was awarded a Gold Visual Victory Award from the ICSC for its LEGO®️ F1®️ activation, which brought the largest LEGO®️ build ever seen in South Africa to KwaZulu-Natal.

Featuring a life-size LEGO®️ Technic Mercedes-AMG F1®️ car built from nearly 193,000 bricks, the campaign transformed Gateway into a festive family destination and demonstrated how globally recognised entertainment properties can be translated into immersive local retail experiences.

The activation delivered strong engagement, memorable visitor experiences, and a standout moment within the South African retail landscape.

Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this build to life.

One campaign can create a moment. Consistency wins awards.

This week, EBM returned from the ICSC Global Awards in Las Vegas with 2 Gold Awards, 2 Silver Awards and 2 Finalist recognitions, standing alongside some of the world’s leading retail brands and agencies.

Here’s the work that won:

🏆 Gold – Gateway Theatre of Shopping VIP - LEGO F1: Biggest Build Ever
🏆 Gold – Sandton City Shopping Centre: Words That Heal

🥈 Silver – Fourways Mall:
🥈 Silver – Eastgate Shopping Centre: Minecraft Movie Activation

⭐ Finalist – Mall of Africa: HAIR-itage Pop-Up Experience
⭐ Finalist – Nelson Mandela Square: Rabanne Million Gold Activation

What makes this really special is the diversity of campaigns recognised, from youth mental health and immersive retail experiences to entertainment partnerships and long-term reputation rebuilding.

As EBM continues to grow internationally, recognition like this reinforces something we’ve long believed: South African creativity, strategy and commercial thinking can compete with the best in the world.
Over the next few days, we’ll be sharing more about each of these award-winning campaigns and the thinking behind them.
Thank you to our clients, partners and brilliant team who continue to push boundaries with us every day. 🖤