Reunion’s Super Simple Play to Make Rest “Straightforward, Uncomplicated, Empowering, Funny” for the Long Term
Rest, one of Australia's largest profit-to-member superannuation funds, has launched the next phase of its 'Super. Simple.' brand platform in partnership with Reunion Agency, aimed at simplifying the superannuation experience for members.
This new phase introduces the Rest Representative, a character designed to clarify complex super concepts while maintaining a humorous and relatable approach, and features an updated visual identity across various advertising channels.
LBB’s Tom Loudon caught up with Reunion co-CEO Justin Hind and executive creative director Oliver Beeston to learn more about the campaign, and its two 15-second TVCs, ‘Meditation’ and ‘Shortcut’.
Justin discusses the campaign's focus on relatable storytelling and character development, the use of surreal elements by director Yanni Warnock, and its tailored approach to resonate with a young audience by simplifying financial jargon and incorporating humour.
LBB> With ‘Super. Simple.’ as a recurring formula, how do you ensure each new execution feels fresh while staying true to the brand’s tone and message?
Justin and Ollie> The key is to make sure that we begin with some universal element of relatability in the premise of each execution. the rest is storytelling and hyperbole. The work's real power, however, comes not through a singular execution but in seeing them in rotation. We spend a lot of time making sure the brand message of simplicity is clear upfront, which gives us our brand tone. Straightforward, uncomplicated, empowering, funny.
LBB> Could you share what makes Yanni Warnock’s direction particularly effective for this campaign? Were there any standout moments or ideas from his approach that helped capture the message?
Justin and Ollie> 15 seconds goes like lightning, so it needs to be simple. Yianni was the right pick from very early on, as he knows how to use the limitations of the format to his advantage. He pushes a lot of the storytelling onto the audience for them to close the gap, which means you never witness the moment of failure, only the aftermath.
When developing our characters, their worlds and their stories, Yianni has this great mantra of “find the universal through the particular”. Instead of writing really generic characters or settings like we’d see in a regular super spot, it’s the surreal particulars that really make it feel memorable.
LBB> What’s the creative process for making a 15-second spot impactful, especially for a complex financial topic like superannuation?
Justin and Ollie> Rest’s audience is very young and relatively disengaged from super advertising, so in writing these, we started with the rules of social media and worked backwards - it has to have the brand and message in the first three seconds, it has to work in a low-attention environment, it has to have a rewarding moment beyond the brand message to keep watching for, and it has to deliver branding even with sound off. Once we were confident it would work in social placements, we knew it would work in film.
LBB> The second ad incorporates AI for scenic elements—what led to this choice, and how did it enhance the ad’s visual impact or storytelling?
Justin and Ollie> There are no AI elements in the final Meditation spot, but it was a valuable production tool for prototyping a suitably surreal look for the cloud scene. As we developed the scene, we used AI to create detailed pre-vis elements of differing speed, texture, colour and shape, which were then layered on top of live footage to give us an idea of how it would look. This became a kind of ‘blueprint’ for the structure of clouds, background lighting and motion which was then rendered using non-AI VFX processes.
LBB> With over 150 creative elements across various channels, how do you ensure a cohesive narrative across platforms while tailoring each asset to its specific media environment?
Justin and Ollie> We’ve carefully crafted each asset suitable for the given placement. In terms of OOH and social media, our approach is to write to the ‘attention budget’ of our viewers to land a simple message.
LBB> Rest has a young, gender-diverse member base. How are you tailoring the campaign’s social and content strategies to resonate specifically with this demographic?
Justin and Ollie> Firstly, we don’t bang on about financial terminology. We know that this audience doesn’t care. They just want a super fund that makes things easier for them. They’re more focused on what is going on in their lives, so that’s where we start. Relatability comes via the scenario, but it also comes from the tone of humour. If it feels expected, it’s probably going to miss the mark.
LBB> How do you measure the overall success of a campaign like this, and what performance indicators are most meaningful for Rest in determining the impact on members?
Justin and Ollie> Campaigns like this are long-term in nature. Our goal is to build brand salience and differentiation over time, and we're less than a year into launching ‘Super.Simple’ as a new brand platform for Rest. The good news is that Rest is number two in unprompted brand awareness in the category despite having less media investment than other funds.
We've further strengthened our position in the market since ‘Super.Simple’ launched, extending our lead over brands three and four in the market. Our other goals are to minimise member attrition, drive active engagement for members with their super and grow funds under management overall to benefit all members. As a profit-to-member fund, scale drives better outcomes for all.
