Buy local advocacy organisation Proudly South African (Proudly SA) says members of the public helped the organisation to name its new mascot LoLo Warona, which is an abbreviation for “love local” and the Sesotho word warona, meaning ours.

LoLo Warona's job is to remind consumers to buy local in order to create jobs and stimulate the South African economy.

“A mascot can play a crucial role in promoting the Proudly SA brand. LoLo Warona confirms that we all have a responsibility to be the difference we want to see and create a demand for local jobs by creating a demand for local goods.

“LoLo is an approachable and relatable mascot that will help amplify Proudly South African’s message through interactions with young people that can be shared on social media platforms such as [short video hosting platform] TikTok, and thereby reaching a bigger audience,” ProudlySA says.

Proudly SA’s primary communication with LoLo Warona is clear, namely buying local goods helps to create jobs, which has a direct impact on today’s young people and on future generations.

“LoLo, who has a distinctly South African flair and feel, and incorporates the colours of the South African flag. Designed in the shape of a swing tag found hanging on many goods, LoLo reminds South Africans to check the tag of their purchases to find out where they were made,” the organisation said.

“We are hoping that LoLo Warona becomes synonymous with our brand and that it will be used on a variety of platforms. It is a fun mascot, and we hope when consumers see LoLo Warona they identify it with Proudly South African and importantly think about how they can make their contribution by buying local,” says Proudly SA chief marketing officer Happy Ngidi.

Ngidi and her team spent several weeks collaborating with members of the public to name the mascot and she thanked the public for helping them to find a fitting and apt name for Proudly SA's mascot.

LoLo's first outing was at the Proudly SA Buy Local Summit and exposition, where the mascot met many guests and shook hands with Deputy President Paul Mashatile after taking an unscripted stumble that was captured and shared on social media.

Further, Proudly SA has also launched a television commercial that places the country’s youth firmly in the spotlight.

“The commercial aptly demonstrates the direct impact that consumers can have on the future of South Africa's children, if they buy home-grown products and support local businesses,” Ngidi said.