by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) 1Life’s agency, House of Brave, once again presents an emotive story that touches on the essence of life (and death).
Life insurance is really about offsetting the consequences of death. It’s the question everyone asks at some point: If you die, how do your dependants carry on living without hardship? So it’s inevitable that talking about life insurance leads to thoughts about the day we ‘shuffle off this mortal coil’, to quote Shakespeare’s Hamlet (in the famous “To be, or not to be” speech).
Insurance in general is often described as a grudge purchase, and life insurance more so, because you are basically investing in the eventuality of your own demise, which, let’s face it, is not something most of us want to even think about. Often, life insurance is marketed with scare tactics: “If, God forbid, something should happen to you, what will happen to your family?” The negative message preys on people’s fears, rather than pointing to the positive benefits of the product.
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Watch our 2017 #AdoftheWeek playlist on YouTube For those who can, and do, invest in life-insurance products, a more-positive motivation is that you are investing in the future, for the benefit of your dependants and descendants. 1Life takes this positive spin and tells an uplifting story with a cinematic commercial, created by House of Brave and Jono Hall of Darling. The ad takes the form of a ‘mini-movie’ story that transitions between the present and the past, from one person’s point-of-view.
The story starts with an elderly man arriving at a hospital. In voiceover we hear his voice as he thinks back on his life. “One day I will have to say goodbye…” he says, as he enters the hospital.
The scene transitions back in time, and we see him as a younger man in his place of work. “Goodbye to loyal friends and faithful companions,” he continues, as the younger version of the man climbs into a truck and greets his dog, who’s been waiting for him in the cabin.
The flashback montage reveals that the man is a truck driver who’s travelled throughout the country. He thinks of the things he will have to say ‘goodbye’ to: “To butter on hot toast … goodbye to the dreamers and the changers … goodbye to the teachers and the future-makers …” Throughout, we are treated to scenes from the man’s life as a trucker — eating at a truck-stop, waving at people at the side of the road, and looking at passing scenery across South Africa.
This is all intercut with shots of the older man as he finds his way through the hospital. The impression one gets is that maybe he is ill, and contemplating his imminent demise, given the nature of the narration.
The flashback sequence ends with him as the successful owner of a trucking company. Then, one day, he is opening letters and he gets a postcard with an English postage stamp. This is the link to the present day scene: the hospital he is walking through is in England.
Eventually he arrives at a ward, where a young woman is in the bed. His voice-over says, “One day I will have to say goodbye, but not today.” The man smiles as the woman greets him. Presumably this is his daughter or daughter-in-law, because she smiles proudly and lets him lift up the new-born child she has been holding. “Today, I say hello,” his voiceover says, “to all the future holds.”
He beams as he holds up the child and as the final line is heard, the text appears on the screen: “For all the future holds”. This is followed by the 1Life logo, and the byline, “Advice, planning, life.”
The cinematography and colour palette move between a cool blue palette, for the present day, to warmer tones for the past. The soundtrack is underscored with a simple ballad that has a familiar, nostalgic feel to it.
1Life and House of Brave have taken what could be quite a negative sell, and turned it on its head, with a positive message that encourages us to look beyond ourselves and consider the one thing we can leave behind — our legacy.
Great to see a life insurance advert that’s all about life!
Credits
Agency: House of Brave
Executive creative director: Vanessa Pearson
Strategists: Rob van Rooyen, Nicole Solarsh, Martjie Louw, Stefanus Nel
Copywriters: Stefanus Nel, Vanessa Pearson, Martjie Louw, Nicole Solarsh
Account management: Ewald Lombaard
Agency art director Martjie Louw
Agency producer: Saffron Doran
Art director/stylist: Keenan McAdam
Brand representative (client): Zamahlasela Gabela
Director of photography: Brendan Barnes
Film production company: Darling Films
Director: Jono Hall
Editor: Evy Katz
Music & sound composition: Hey Papa Legend
Performers: Emmanuel Mpanza, Norman Kone, Thandixolo Mpanyo
Post production: Left Post Production
Producer: Liz Dahl
Final mix: Lorens Persson, Sterling Sound
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 clientservice@ornicogroup.co.za.
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