ABSTRACT
On January 15, 2014, the latest television commercial in Guinness’ “Made of More” campaign was aired in the United Kingdom. On this occasion, the commercial, directed by acclaimed Danish photojournalist Nicolai Fuglsig, focused on Congolese “sapeurs” (see also The Men inside the Suits 2014). The sapeurs are adherents to and practitioners of La Sape, an acronym that designates the Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elégantes (The Society of Elegant Persons), whose membership is essentially constituted by young men from Brazzaville (Republic of Congo) and Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). As Stephen O’Kelly, marketing director of Guinness Western Europe explained:
What we love about the Sapeurs and drew us to them was not only the vibrancy and color, but at its core, their story is one of dignity and self-expression. In the spirit of Made of More we wanted to capture the story of a group of men whose integrity and character shone through despite the challenges they face. Dressing well can symbolize many things, but for the Sapeurs, fine clothes stand for peace, integrity and honor.
(Campaign Brief 2014)