Wraight it: A picture tells a thousand words

Having photographed celebrity icons like Madonna, Elton John, Marilyn Manson and Uma Thurman (to name a few), LaChapelle has also directed teasers for "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives."

In addition to the many adverts he has under his belt, LaChapelle is also the music video director of choice for musicians such as Christina Aguilera, Elton John, Moby, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Robbie Williams - the man even created a new genre of dance! For those who haven't heard of him, LaChapelle's work is utterly unique, surreal and fantastical.

Now his work has come to South African shores, in the latest offering from Clover South Africa. Strange combination you may say, and I would agree initially, until you see the work.

Clover and LaChapelle have teamed up to salute 10 South African women from different spheres in its "Spread the Love" campaign.

Having tracked the man down at the London Frieze Art Fair, Clover pitched the concept to LaChapelle and he loved it. Bear in mind that LaChapelle does not come cheap - his first professional job was was with Andy Warhol - so the campaign had to be a hit.

With the help of agency Stimulii, the team has come up with a campaign that is as emotive as it is beautiful.

Behind the scenes

It was the responsibility of the Clover crew to locate the 10 women who encapsulated the qualities that Clover wanted to portray symbolising what love means to them. Marianne Fassler for creativity, Karen Zoid for music, Leleti Khumalo for caring, Gcina Mhlophe for knowledge, and Helen Suzman for perseverance.

In addition; Claire Johnston took on togetherness and Carrol Boyes personified energy. True to herself Miriam Makeba represented grace. Mail & Guardian's very own Ferial Hafajee for truth and Dr Glenda Grey for compassion.

"The idea was not to focus on the celebrity-status of these women, but rather on what they do, what they have achieved and how they have made a difference in the South African society. These female icons represent a very important facet of being female in South Africa. With this campaign, we aimed to celebrate their talents and harnessed it to concur with Clover's efforts over the last 100 years," says Denise Meadon, group manager: marketing at Clover.

For the first time in Clover's advertising history, the focus was not product-specific, but rather on the emotional ties with the product. Milk, in essence, is a feminine product that focuses on nurturing and providing, the same qualities displayed by Clover.

"We wanted to tell our loyal consumers that we love and care about them so much that only the best tasting and most trusted quality Clover products are good enough for them. The campaign also shows a different side of the Clover brand that has never been done before, such as the cropping of the logo at the bottom of the teaser print campaign, as well as the almost surreal settings of the shots," says Meadon.

"Our vision for the Clover brand is that it must become part of the everyday fabric of people's lives. In a competitive market place, consumers will gravitate towards the brands with which they have emotional ties. What better emotional bond to have than the maternal bond between a mother and feeding her family.

"The female icons had to be portrayed in way that showed them at their most bountiful and most beautiful that immediately evoked all motherly analogies."

LaChapelle portrayed each one of these icons in a captivating, almost surreal way. It was LaChapelle's vision that each woman should hold a source of light. This orb symbolised so many things - not least which was Clover in the life of South Africans, says Meadon.

The campaign continues on clover's website, where, for the next six months, customers and visitors are invited to share their stories on how they are "spreading the love" in their communities. These stories will be published on Clover's blog every month up until August. Prizes will also be awarded to the winning contributions.