In an act of supreme cosmic irony, this year has brought with it none of the 20/20 vision and keen sense of foresight we had hoped it would.

Instead, we all were caught off guard by a global pandemic and its ongoing, far-reaching consequences.

Sanlam’s latest campaign bravely goes there…voicing the very personal yet pervasive experience we’ve all shared in this year before neatly pivoting to the brand by (gently) reminding the audience of the importance of new plans and the role Sanlam can play in making them.

 “At our essence, Sanlam is a company that helps people to live their best lives and reach their dreams by planning ahead,” said Sydney Mbhele, Chief Executive of Brand at Sanlam.

“This campaign encapsulates how we can still help people to do that. Despite all the curveballs and disruptions 2020 has thrown our way – in fact, precisely because of them – there’s never been a better time to come up with some new plans.”

King James Group, Sanlam’s creative agency, was tasked with conceptualising a campaign that could at once connect with a weary audience and yet also inspire people to not simply dwell on the disruptions, but make some new plans to overcome them.

“The simple truth is that 2020 has been a gut punch,” said King James Creative Director, Jared Osmond.

“What we wanted to showcase, was that before 2020 was the year of pandemics, downgrades and trauma, it was a year full of dreams. We wanted to remind viewers of this – of what their plans for 2020 were. Plans that Sanlam can help them get back to now.”

To avoid coming across as patronizing, connecting with the audience on a personal level was critical.

Creative Director Cameron Watson explained how they endeavored to bring this across visually: “We wanted the camera to move in a way that would create individual worlds – the worlds our viewers have lived in. Using their POV enabled us to make a commercial that was not only relatable, but reminded us all of the plans we had that are now worth getting back on track.”

Supported by well-executed radio and digital creative, the TV commercial ends with the all-important question each of us must ask of ourselves: What now?

Watch it below.

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