Comedian Kagiso Lediga has been a stalwart of the local industry for more than a decade, yet with his first-ever one man show IN A SUIT debuting on the 24th& 25th of February, old and new fans alike are looking forward to kicking off the local comedy calendar on a high note.
Lediga, who rose to national standing by writing and preforming in the ground breaking sketch comedy series the Pure Monate Show, recently approached design and advertising agency Brand inc Create to help cement his position as a leader & pioneer in the local entertainment industry by creating a look & feel that is uniquely his own.
The result was eye catching and alluring promotional collateral for his IN A SUIT show. The clever use of visual tools will allow Kagiso to build his own personal brand and create future revenue sources, as well as capatalise on opportunities already established around his image. “It’s what we aimed to achieve when we looked to moulding the correct brand identity for Kagiso,” added creative director of Brand inc Judd Quy.
Creating a brand identity for one of the country’s most recognisable faces was no mean feat says Takunda Bimha, owner, Podium Comedy Merchants. He points out that innovation and consistency are two of the hallmarks that can be attributed to most successful brands such as Apple and Coca-Cola; these are two qualities, he says, that have been synonymous with Kagiso throughout the course of his career.
Since venturing into comedy whilst studying at the University of Cape Town, Lediga has spent the ensuing years building an impressive body of work, unrivalled in this country. His illustrious career has seen him perform worldwide from Nigeria to the UK and from Mauritius to the US & Canada. But it is from his forays into television & film that has really seen his star outshine the rest.
Starting out as creative director for the hugely successful Phat Joe Show, Lediga has gone on to create and star in cult classic local films such as the award winning Bunny Chow in partnership with MTV Films, Crazy Monkey and Good Fellas. During this time he was also seen by local TV audiences as the CEO of Nandos for their Loerie-award winning campaign - a spoof of the Cell C campaign with Trevor Noah – and the comical Savanah campaign “the DJ was on Fire” with Barry Hilton.
“After discussing this with Kagiso, we were excited at the challenge ahead. When you think about it, comedians are constantly talking equity and capturing market share through their appearances, TV shows and other ventures. In this respect, they are not very different from big businesses when launching a new brand,” says Takunda.
“As such, through years of hard work and constant innovation, they establish a niche for themselves based on their own points of differentiation. However, as with many new brands, their brands can become lost as a result of being associated with the themes they endorse and the manner in which they carry their messages across. Ultimately, it is only the tremendously talented individuals that can transcend these barriers and leverage their personal brand to maximum effect.”
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