How This Bank Asked South Africans to Plan for the Future
Are you saving for retirement? If not, you’re in line with 90% of South Africans, who currently can’t afford to retire due to a lack of savings. The staggering statistic formed the backbone of Nedbank’s latest campaign, as the company encouraged people to consider the future by starting to save for it.
In the spot which created quite an online conversation, retirement-age servers, played by actors, were working a restaurant in Sandton, Johannesburg. The upscale area is one of the most affluent in the city and as the older waiters and waitresses made mistakes, fumbled and left diners a little confused about why they might still be working there, there was a deeper message hidden underneath the social experiment.
When diners were presented with their ‘Reality Checks’ at the end of the meal, ‘90% of South Africans can’t afford to retire’ was the message that read on them. With diners finally clocking on to what they just witnessed, it was a stark reminder for younger generations to plan ahead, creating a balance between living in the moment and anticipating the future.
Joe Public’s integrated executive creative director, Martin Schlumpf and business unit director Phindile Ndzekeli speak LBB’s Nisna Mahtani through the campaign’s creation.
LBB> Nedbank’s focus for this campaign was encouraging people to save for retirement. Can you tell us a little bit about the research that went into the spot?
Martin & Phindile> Statistics show that South Africans are amongst the worst savers in the world. The country’s savings rate is sitting at only 0.5%, which is below that of most emerging market peers. And with July being National Savings Month in South Africa, our client Nedbank wanted to put the spotlight on the need for South Africans to save and invest more for their future. The research for our campaign came from multiple sources but mostly from the South African National Treasury.
LBB> ‘90% of South Africans can’t afford to retire’ is the staggering statistic informing the campaign. Why was this one, in particular, the one you wanted to shine a light on when the check came?
Martin & Phindile> Most South Africans live from pay cheque to pay cheque. Retirement is the last thing on their minds. It’s only when the time comes for people to retire that they realise they haven’t saved enough. And the latest stats show the situation is going from bad to worse; our nation is in need of a reality check. The idea was always to use older waiters (actors) that were way past retirement age to get our message across, simply because it’s such a human truth that so many people in South Africa can relate to. No one really wants to be working at the age of 70. So that statistic was the obvious one to use.
LBB> Taking place at, a restaurant in Sandton, older servers were dispatched to serve customers in a social experiment. Can you tell us about the idea behind this and the logistics that went into it?
Martin & Phindile> Sandton is the richest square mile in Africa, it’s the most affluent area of Johannesburg where a lot of people spend frivolously without thinking about the consequences. The restaurant was therefore the perfect place for us to dramatise our idea through a live activation. As you can imagine, thorough preparation was crucial. Not only setting up the restaurant with the hidden cameras and microphones but also briefing and dry running with all the waiters beforehand. Our director Katlego Baaitse from Spitfire Films did a really great job in directing them leading up to the day and making sure that they knew exactly what to do. They had to familiarise themselves with the menu and with the layout of the restaurant.
LBB> What was the filming process like? Did you set up cameras covertly or was there a ruse that you ended up revealing in the end?
Martin & Phindile> We set up multiple hidden cameras throughout the restaurant as well as hidden mics under the tables and on the waiters themselves. We also told patrons on arrival that we were shooting a promo video for the restaurant itself which allowed us to do the interviews outside without creating any suspicion. When patrons were done paying their bills, we took them aside as they were leaving the restaurant for their interviews, where we told them more about what we were really doing.
LBB> How did you get through the entire service without letting the customers know? Were there any challenges which cropped up during the process?
Martin & Phindile> Productions like this are always tricky because the element of surprise is of the utmost importance. Setting up the interviews outside under the guise of a restaurant promotion really worked well to draw attention away from what was really going on and our waiter cast were superb in their performances.
LBB> The reactions towards the end of the spot shows how moved the people at the restaurant are. Can you share some of the most memorable moments and also how the audience reacted?
Martin & Phindile> It was fascinating to see how the patrons’ reactions changed from bewilderment to total shock and compassion at the end of each meal when they were presented with their checks. We had a great cast of waiters, all retirees who make a little extra money through acting. They took their roles seriously and their performances were perfect. I think they could relate to what was happening because in essence, apart from being passionate about acting, they were all in the same boat, trying to earn a little extra money to make life a little easier. There were so many memorable moments – especially watching the waiters – every drop of a knife or a fork, something dropping from a tray and even the little burger falling out the plate was real. These moments are where the magic lies, something you can’t script or fabricate.
LBB> The campaign also caused a debate online. What were some of the main takeaways people were sharing?
Martin & Phindile> The reactions from people online were very similar to those on the day of the activation, firstly, shock and compassion for the waiters/actors, followed by a very personal kind of introspection. Most notably, there was an urgency about the state of affairs we as a nation find ourselves in and a realisation that it’s never too late to start saving.
LBB> Have you seen any changes since the campaign launched? Have people begun to consider their savings more carefully?
Martin & Phindile> It’s still early days but the reactions online have certainly started the conversation through a lively debate about saving and investing. The kind of debate that will hopefully lead to action.
LBB> Things are of course challenging with the economy at the moment, but why was it important for Nedbank to convey this message?
Martin & Phindile> 90% of South African retirees cannot maintain the same standard of living prior to retirement. This means that many will most likely need to work even after retirement. Add to this the fact that South Africa’s life expectancy has shown a steady increase, so planning and saving become even more important as people now live longer. It is vital that people come to realise that the key to being able to save for their future is access to the financial services, support and products that speak to their life stage and needs.
LBB> Should we expect to see any similar campaigns from Nedbank soon?
Martin & Phindile> Our client Nedbank exists to be “the money experts who do good”, so yes, everything we do ultimately lives up to this statement.
