by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) The age-old narrative of humans looking to the sea for their livelihood is the story upon which the new commercial for Prudential Investment Managers is based.
The life of a nearshore fisher is not easy; it never has been. But as the ocean environment changes and overfishing takes its toll, nearshore fishing is a craft that is slowly dying out. For many traditional fishers who live on the edges of coastlines — and life — fishing is their only means of survival. And as species start vanishing, catches become smaller and scarcer, endangering the vital food source that fishing villages have depended on for generations.
The television commercial is poetic in its beauty and mesmerisingly rich in narrative. But this advert is so intelligently mindful of the brand position it communicates because it is unwaveringly focused.
Lowe Cape Town TVC for Prudential: “The Fisherman”
“Success comes from being consistent day after day, month after month, year after year,” Prudential communicates in its campaign, which the spot supports. Conceived by Lowe Cape Town, and directed by Kim Geldenhuys of 0307, the television advert that supports the campaign is a simple story, told without words, just beautiful imagery.
The production crew that filmed the commercial travelled to an island off Madagascar to film real fishermen going about their day-to-day life. The ‘stars’ were cast from locals, which lends much authenticity to this short story.
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The ad starts with a clever foreshadowing image: an underwater shot of a toy soccer player caught in a fishing net. The visuals then cut to the protagonist — an old man who wakes up a young boy, who I presume is his grandson. It is still dark outside but the pair must go out to sea.
The story shows many other fishermen, too, who go out, day after day, and cast their nets. But the nets yield nothing — that day’s effort has been in vain. The young boy helps his grandfather, sharing in the disappointment each time the nets are hauled in empty.
Eventually, all the other fishermen from the village have given up, but the man and the young boy will not relent. Each day they return to the sea.
One day, the boy pulls up the net to find the toy soccer player, which brings a smile to his face. Each day they return to the sea, never giving up. In baking sun and stormy weather, the old man and the boy persevere.
Of course, consistency pays rewards. The boy is sleeping at the front of the boat, when birds alert the fisher to a shoal. This time the boy and the old man return to the village with enough fish for everyone.
The final scene is of the boy waking up early, a switch in roles because the older man always did the waking. When the young boy takes it upon himself to go and fetch water and to wake the old man, the older face rises with a big smile. The grandfather knows that he has imparted real value to his grandson — a lesson that will endure.
The payoff line is: “Success comes from being consistent — day after day, month after month.” This ties in with the Prudential slogan, “Consistency is the only currency that matters.”
The music is a plaintively sung version of a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (The Deserted House). Although the words don’t really have anything to do with the visuals, the poetry adds an emotional undercurrent. Because the visuals are beautifully shot, the combined effect is that the ad takes the viewer through a range of moods.
I preferred the message in this commercial and think it is far more successful than the last one that was a part of this campaign. That ad was no less beautifully produced but focused upon failure, rather than success. It told the story of Scott of the Antarctic, who was beaten to the South Pole by Roald Amundsen, as history tells us, because the latter insisted on achieving a set daily distance, no matter what the weather. Sadly Scott and his crew perished on the return journey.
The story of the fisherman is a positive message that depicts victory over adverse circumstances, and works well for the brand. The symbolism of the story — that consistency pays off during difficult times — is an apt metaphor for people seeking to invest their money in the current post ‘credit-crunch’ environment.
Well done to Lowe Cape Town and crew for a heart-warming story that connects with its audience and creates a message that really hits home! And congratulations for reminding us what great advertising is: conveying a singular message in a beautifully crafted piece of advertising that’s incredibly enjoyable to experience.
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.
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