Cepacol® Unveils New Voice Of The Brand

Cepacol®, an iconic throat spray and lozenge brand, has announced the winner of its national Voice Search competition, unveiling Mduduzi Sibeko as the new official voice of the brand in South Africa. The announcement took place at a media event held in Johannesburg, where the top ten finalists of the competition gathered with invited media and company representatives for the grand reveal. This event marked the successful conclusion of a campaign that put the power of brand voice selection directly in the hands of the public.

For the first time, Cepacol invited consumers to help choose who would become the Voice of Cepacol. The campaign, launched in June 2025, encouraged aspiring voiceover artists nationwide to audition, after which a panel selected ten finalists. Their voice clips were uploaded to a dedicated microsite for public voting. South Africans eagerly participated in the voting process, casting scores of votes for their favourite voice to democratise the selection. This innovative approach ensured that the winning voice was truly the people’s choice, aligning with the campaign’s objectives to build consumer engagement, modernise the brand’s voice, and reinforce relevance among South African consumers.

Mduduzi emerged as the competition winner after securing the most votes from the public. His relatable and authentic vocal style resonated strongly with voters, making him the ideal choice to represent Cepacol’s local voice. Mduduzi will be featured as the voiceover in upcoming Cepacol radio, digital and in-store campaigns, effectively becoming the vocal personality of the brand in the future. In addition to the title, the winner gains a unique opportunity to elevate their voiceover career by partnering with a nationally recognised brand.

Phemelo Kabini, Brand Manager for Cepacol at Adcock Ingram, shared, “The brand is positioned as a locally trusted, quick-relief throat-care brand that’s modernising its voice and outreach through participatory, digital-first marketing. By handing over the reins to our consumers, we ensured the new voice of the brand is one they genuinely connect with. This campaign was designed to engage our community in a fun and modern way, and the response exceeded our expectations. We’ve not only found a fresh voice for our ads, but we’ve also shown our audience that we value their input at every step. We like to say, ‘There’s a Cepacol for that. And now there’s a voice too!’ which truly captures the spirit of this initiative.”

The campaign was developed in partnership with Anomaly, an integrated digital marketing agency. Paul de Chalain, agency founder and head of strategy, expressed, “Cepacol has evolved from a familiar cough‐and‐cold staple into one of Adcock Ingram’s most digitally forward OTC (over the counter) brands. The creative approach to this recent competition has sharpened its relevance with younger, social-first audiences. This was a deliberate shift from purely broadcast advertising to participatory storytelling, using a digital-first asset mix to keep media spend efficient and trackable.”

De Chalain added, “From the outset, we wanted this campaign to shift perceptions around how brands engage talent and tell their stories. By making the search public, we invited South Africans to co-create a piece of the brand’s future and ultimately decide who best reflects their own voice and values. It was a bold move to hand over that power, but it paid off with immense engagement, fresh energy, and a brand connection rooted in authenticity.”

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