THE COEGA INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT Zone and deep-water harbour project outside Port Elizabeth has lifted a little-known, rare butterfly, the Coega Copper, out of obscurity and turned it into a television star. The first in a series of locally-produced television advertisements for the Coega Development Corporation (CDC), was flighted for the first time on all major television channels on Sunday, February 16, featuring the rare Aloeides Clarki, or Coega Copper butterfly. Each segment of the advertisements in the series will feature the Coega Copper as its signature. The butterfly occurs in only three areas: within the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) and in an isolated location at the Sunday ' s River mouth. The CDC has created a special reserve to protect the butterfly. "The Coega Copper was a natural symbol for the Coega IDZ,” says CDC media spokesperson, Vuyelwa Vika. "It is another example of our ongoing commitment to the environment. A butterfly is also a powerful symbol because it is a product of metamorphosis - an earth-bound caterpillar becomes a beautiful creature that can defy gravity. The Coega project is just such a metamorphosis - turning unproductive land into one of the world ' s premier investment destinations,” she says. The advertisement was conceptualised, written and produced by a Port Elizabeth creative team working with the CDC's advertising agency. "We are proud of the fact that the first Coega television advertisements were made right here in Port Elizabeth. As the CDC, we would encourage other local businesses to look locally for skills before going to the other centres,” says Vika. The CDC procurement policy favours the use of local companies. The team, which made the Coega advertisement, included Abe van Wyk, Makhanda Music Entertainment Youth Project, design@bay, Media Axis, Siyathetha Communications and Cape Films.