The campaign has now been named an Official Selection at BrandStorytelling 2026, a Sanctioned Event of the Sundance Film Festival, which took place in Park City, Utah, between 21 to 24 January 2026.

Tseliso Rangaka, chief creative officer at Accenture Song, says, “This project represents the sweet spot of what Accenture Song offers, where deep human insight meets cutting-edge technology. We didn’t just want to tell the Philipstown story; we wanted to build a platform that allows the world to participate in it. By digitising the town’s culture, we’ve created a campaign that lives beyond a 30-second spot, offering immersive entertainment that drives tangible value.”

Sharing a local success story on the global stage

The campaign’s emotional core is a feature documentary, The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix, now streaming on Prime Video. Produced by Giant Films and Accenture Song, and directed by WARD (Paul Ward), the film follows young racers who build intricate draadkarre (wire cars) from scrap wire and bottle caps to compete in the town’s annual race.

Industry icon, Alistair King, who is also vice-chair of the Philipstown WireCar Foundation, adds, “The wire car is a metaphor for the campaign itself. Discarded wire rusts and serves little purpose, but creativity and effort can transform it into something valuable. We applied that same lens to the town. We saw a raw, beautiful story and used our creative resources to build a global stage for it.”

From Karoo dust to digital twin

Accenture Song’s ambition was to ensure the story lived beyond the screen. This required a digital evolution: the WGP Mobile Game. This free-to-play racing title is a digital twin of Philipstown, available on iOS and Android.

Using assets from film production, drone footage and real-time GPS race data, the team recreated the town’s streets and landmarks.

“The goal was to bring this culture to the world in the most entertaining way possible,” adds Gregory Booysen, creative group lead at Accenture Song. “The game offers a story mode where you rise as a racer, competitive multiplayer with global leaderboards, and real-time head-to-head races against friends.

Lights. Camera. But very little action. Why?

The stars of the game are, of course, the wire cars themselves. Translating these one-of-a-kind creations into customisable digital assets required an equally innovative approach. Using VR headsets, the artists stepped into a virtual workshop to bend and twist digital wire, creating the car models exactly as the builders in Philipstown do.

In a brilliant move, the team tied the game directly to the documentary. “In the final Grand Prix, you’re not competing against AI,” Booysen explains. “You’re racing against the real GPS data captured from the kids in the film. You get to live that experience.”

A story people can support

The final component turns fandom into funding through an official Philipstown WireCar e-commerce platform, offering authentic, handcrafted wire cars and merchandise made in Philipstown. Along with optional cosmetic in-app purchases within the game, proceeds flow through the Foundation to support youth programmes and a community hub that will also serve as an e-learning centre.

Rangaka concludes, “Great storytelling doesn’t end when the credits roll; it expands. We used technology to place a Philipstown tradition on a global platform where people can watch, experience through play, and support through commerce. That’s what happens when creativity and tech stop competing and start collaborating.”

Documentary Credits

• Produced by Giant Films and Accenture Song
• Director: Paul Ward (WARD)
• Produced by Cindy Gabriel, Jo Barber
• Cinematography: Jason Prins
• Edited by Emily Bussac & Matthew Swanepoel
• CGI director: Dima Lochmann
• CGI producer: Laura Mestel
• Original Music by Pressure Cooker featuring Muneyi
• Co-Producer: Kelly-Eve Koopman
• Concept by Accenture Song South Africa