Sanlam Wealthsmiths™ launches ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ ad campaign
Robert Thompson, marketing head of Sanlam Investments.
The historic “Rumble in the Jungle” world heavyweight championship fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa in the former Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1974 was one of the greatest sporting events of the 20th century. The ingenious strategy employed by Ali to defeat Foreman has now been powerfully expressed in Sanlam’s latest TV ad as a reflection of the financial services group’s approach to investments.
Journeying back to the set of the original face-off, the ad vividly recounts the eight-round fight that saw defending champion Foreman stumble at the left hook of a calculating Ali. The challenger’s carefully considered plan and cautious strategy eventually saw Foreman's strength start to wane, and at just the right moment, Ali struck and knocked out his opponent after a series of bold jabs and punch combinations.
“The advert highlights how, in much the same way, Sanlam’s investment philosophy is consciously cautious and – when the time is right – strategically bold. We resist the temptation to ride the euphoria of speculation – we remove emotion and we check, re-check and analyse before each investment decision,” says Robert Thompson, marketing head of Sanlam Investments.
Says Alistair King, chief creative officer of the King James Group, the agency behind the new ad: “The ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ is a remarkable piece of sporting history that happened right here in Africa. And Ali brought to that fight a strategy that felt very similar to Sanlam’s investment approach – the power of restraint. Retelling this story also gave us a good excuse to depart from the sentimental approach that many financial institutions are taking with their advertising.”
Thompson says Sanlam’s investment philosophy depicted in the new ad is underpinned by the group’s Wealthsmiths™ promise to do things very, very well. “When it comes to investing, there is a time to be bold and a time to be cautious. It is knowing which to be when that makes us Wealthsmiths™.”
He says Sanlam’s approach is best demonstrated by the performance history of the group’s flagship general equity funds (SIM General Equity, SIM Top Choice Equity and SIM Value) and its flagship multi-asset fund (SIM Balanced). These have delivered consistent above-average performance by ranking in the top two quartiles measured against peers over measurable 3, 5, 7 and 10 years to end December 2014. Sanlam’s flagship global products – Sanlam Global Equity, Sanlam Global Cautious Fund of Funds and Sanlam Balanced Fund of Funds – have also enjoyed top quartile performance over the three years to end December 2014.
Thompson says since the launch of Sanlam’s refreshed brand and Wealthsmiths™ positioning last year, the group has made great strides towards accurately reflecting the Sanlam brand as it is today to the outside world – a leading, fully diversified financial services provider. “With a footprint in 15 African countries, South East Asia and the United Kingdom, we have expertise in insurance, financial planning, retirement and wealth, and have built a strong track record in investment management.
“We have been managing money for almost 50 years and have worked tirelessly to build our investment expertise around the right people, level-headed processes and rigorous discipline. The time has now come for us to tell our story with conviction and pride, through our brand. We believe our new ad campaign will succeed in doing this,” he concludes.
To watch and share our latest TV ad, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yQ_vkbkiyo
Credits:
Agency: King James Group
Chief Creative Officer: Alistair King
Executive Creative Director: Matt Ross
Creative Director: Michael Wilson
Strategist: Megan Clausen
Client service: Taryn Walker & Masha Roginsky
Agency Producer: Caz Friedman
Music: Pressure Cooker Studios
Sound Engineer: Dave Harris (Freq’ncy)
Production House: Giant Films
Director: Robin Goode
Producer: Di du Toit
Editor: Anthony Lee Martin (Deliverance)
Post: Black Ginger
