A fiercely independent media in South Africa creates many challenges for branded content as many media owners draw a clear line between advertising and "editorial" content. Brands are often forced to buy space instead of earn space for heavily branded content as the branding it itself creates questions in relation to credibility. Brands that earn their space with branded content are successful because commercial concerns are often placed second to participation and mechanics, which enable consumers to become involved in something that resonates with them.

The campaign schedule was constructed to generate daily conversation momentum.

› A weekly mini-documentary aired on eTV (viewership of 1,23-million). A three-minute episode aired every Wednesday, repeats on Saturday

› Regular telephonic interviews with major breakfast radio shows every Monday morning.

› Media events for seven national media stops. Journalists interviewed Riaan Manser 1:1 as he travelled through Cape Town, George, Port Elizabeth, Umtata, Bloemfontein, Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

› Thorough weekly updates on Riaan Manser’s progress for print, online and broadcast media with links to the episodes and a daily video diary.

› Consistent national and regional media lobbying encouraging them to interview Riaan to report development and highlight Add Hope beneficiaries.

› A final event where media walked the last leg of the Journey. Held at Park Station with the 2011 Wall of Hope activation. Press packs and collateral were developed and post event lobbying and sell-ins were executed.

Add Hope donations peaked at just over ZAR12 million for the year – a ZAR3 million improvement on the year before and ZAR5.5 million on the year before that. The event drew over ZAR7 million worth of media attention, a return on investment of 1:34 (where the local industry norm is 1:3). Research noted a 31% increase in public perception among Quick Service Restaurant users that KFC is a brand that gives back.