Made up of Zaiba Goolam (21), Joel Areington (22) and John Garside (21), the team recently won the South African leg of the competition, widely regarded as the world's largest creative innovation challenge for young people. Their win is less about a single breakthrough moment, and more about how they built their idea from the ground up.

A deceptively simple human truth sits at its core: in today's fast-paced world, a small everyday pick me up can make a meaningful difference. The strength of this entry lies in how clearly it translates this insight into something tangible and commercially viable.

According to Nkosiyapha Msomi, Head of Department of Creative Brand Communication at AAA, the judges responded to more than just creativity, "So' Réal's entry tackled a real problem, presenting a solution that is easy to imagine in people's lives, and is at the same time feasible, scalable and backed by solid thinking around cost and profitability."

The balance between creativity and rigour is not accidental. At AAA, the process begins with ruthless clarity. Students must break down a client brief into its simplest form, interrogate the brand and its context, and immerse themselves in research before a single idea is pursued. From there, multiple concepts are explored, challenged and refined before one is selected and pushed to its limits.

For So' Réal, this meant months of iteration. "They presented work, took feedback, reworked it overnight and came back sharper the next day," says Msomi. "It is a relentless process, but it is how you move from a good idea to a winning one."

Msomi explains that, while modern marketing is grounded in data, it is creativity and belief that make ideas land and this speaks to a broader shift in the industry, "As technology accelerates and tools become more accessible, execution alone is no longer the differentiator. Rather, it is the ability to connect insight, creativity, and strategy into ideas that resonate on a human level."

As Team So' Réal prepares for Paris, including working alongside L'Oréal's Johannesburg team, their idea will continue to evolve. This, says Msomi, is the point. "The best ideas are never finished. They are refined, challenged and strengthened over time."

For AAA, this win is a signal of what is possible when education mirrors the realities of the industry it serves. 

For more information, visit www.aaaschool.ac.za. You can also follow The AAA School of Advertising on Facebook, X, or on Instagram.

*Image courtesy of contributor