by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) It has been a trend lately for ads to look back at ‘the old days’ with a strong sense of nostalgia. This week we go ‘retro’ again, with an ad that harks back to the ’60s: Sanlam’s ode to youth and the patience that’s required to build wealth in the long term.
It’s an entertaining reflection of Sanlam’s rebranding effort with King James Group. The financial brand now has a subtly modified logo, with the payoff line: “Wealthsmiths”.
King James Group TVC for Sanlam: “Wealthsmiths — Super Boy”
Sanlam’s story about ‘super boy’ is a charming story, one that might resonate with many of us who grew up in a time when a rand could almost fill the tank, and 10 cents could buy a whole lot of sweets or a comic or two. The message in this commercial flick is simple — it requires patience to build wealth but it’s worth it in the end.
The story features a charming little boy, as he goes about his chores. The styling is very much 1960s, from the clothes to the stores to the cars.
“No such thing as a ‘quick buck'”
“Remember when you were young?” the narrator asks. “There was no such thing as a ‘quick buck.’” The boy is mowing the lawn, hauling buckets of water to wash the car. We do not see the father — the camera focuses on his face as he receives his reward of a coin — a coin that he saves.
The soundtrack is Queen’s “I want it all” — an ironic anthem to consumerism that works in counterpoint to the montage of the boy as he walks through town, singing along to his Walkman, and looking at all the things he wants to buy.
“You didn’t want to spend it immediately; you wanted that feeling to last,” says the narrator, and we follow the boy’s life as he experiences that feeling. It’s a feeling that we no longer cherish in this age of instant gratification and throwaway consumerism.
Companion site
And it’s this philosophy that runs through the entire Wealthsmiths campaign. Sanlam has very cleverly aligned itself with a new ‘fiscal conservatism’ that seems to be emerging in our post-financial crisis culture. Or at least, it is being promoted as such by Sanlam. The companion site presents this value set, featuring videos that educate and inspire, such as teaching children about money.
It’s encouraging to see financial advice being dispensed in a way that is entertaining and not patronising.
Sanlam has been very clever in providing a content-marketing style service on this site. Yes, they are branded, but the videos are worth watching for themselves, even if you’re not a Sanlam client. There is a piece on Bill Gates, another called “The story of the world’s richest man and his eight-year old car”, and “The story of Henry Ford and the weekend”.
Digital agency Punk is behind the site, and I see also the redesign of the main Sanlam website — which is now quite updated and modern, with lots of white space, clean fonts and clear graphics.
Transformed
Getting back to the ad — masterfully created by King James Group. The boy does, of course, finally achieve his goal: a superhero outfit that’s reminiscent of Captain America, complete with goggles, cape and shield.
The boy emerges from the toy shop transformed into a ‘superhero’ — and the final montage is of his adventures in his new role: stopping cars to let an old lady cross the street, fighting imaginary villains and knocking bottles off a fence-post with his shield. The final scene: the boy’s mother is bringing him supper — but he has already fallen asleep on the couch, exhausted from the day’s activities.
The narrator’s final line explains the company’s attitude to money: “It’s true value is not what you can buy with it, but what it buys you.” A subtle distinction but one worth considering in this materialistic age.
Positions the brand
The set-design is masterful: from the streets to the interiors, I can see that the props people had their work cut out for them; the grade has that “Kodachrome” sort of look to it, and it all adds up to a visually complete piece of nostalgia that positions the brand in a very comfortable space.
It’s a great counterbalance between the old and the new: promising old values in a new environment.
Update: In a previous version of this story we incorrectly stated that digital agency Liquorice is behind the site when in fact it is Punk. We regret the error.
Ad of the Week, published on MarkLives every Wednesday, is penned by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki), the CEO of Ornico, a Brand Intelligence® firm that focuses on media, reputation and brand research.
If you are involved in making advertising that is smart, funny and/or engaging,
please let Oresti know about it at info@ornicogroup.co.za.
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