Sasko Bakeries has rolled out a new marketing drive called #12OfficialSandwichesOfSA. The brand says the campaign will run through Heritage Month and will let consumers decide which sandwiches deserve official status.
According to the company, anyone who buys a Sasko loaf, bun or roll can scan the QR code (quick response code) on the pack, enter the last four digits of the barcode and submit a favourite sandwich by text or voice note. Each valid entry triggers an instant airtime reward and enters the shopper into weekly cash draws of R12,000 until 16 October 2026, plus three grand prizes of R20,000, R10,000 and R6,000.
Marketing manager Mbalenhle Sithole told Bizcommunity that the sandwich is “one of the most personal things in a South African home”. She added that Sasko has been in local kitchens for close to a century and wants the country, not the brand, to decide what it eats.
The list of potential contenders includes the Kota, Gatsby, bunny chow, braaibroodjie, boerie roll, chicken mayo, bacon, egg and cheese, Dagwood, chip sandwich and vetkoek. Participants can also boost their chances by posting photos or videos on social media, tagging @Sasko_sa and using the campaign hashtag.
J’Something, a music figure with ties to food and hospitality, will act as the public face of the drive during Heritage Month, giving the campaign a recognisable voice.
For small businesses, the initiative shows how a legacy brand can use a simple, low-cost digital interaction to generate buzz, collect consumer data and reinforce cultural relevance. The R500,000 prize pool is funded by Sasko and is not tied to any external grant or government support.
More insights on consumer-led campaigns can be found in our SME & Entrepreneurship coverage.
Through an Instagram post on the @sasko_sa account, the brand highlighted that the sandwich is a “simple but highly recognisable food occasion” that cuts across communities and regions, from the Kota to the Gatsby, and that the campaign is meant to let those everyday moments shape a national conversation about food, identity and culture, according to the campaign brief.
“We are not asking the country to look backwards at us,” Sithole explained, adding that Sasko wants South Africans to “look at itself, and to argue, loudly, about which sandwich deserves official status,” a shift from heritage celebration to consumer-driven selection.
