How (and why) BrightRock and eNCA teamed up to bring Brazil, change and laughter to our living rooms

Dave’s Big Break in Brazil, a change-inspired “news” broadcast from Brazil conceived by needs-matched life insurance player, BrightRock, to drive brand awareness and engagement.

Acclaimed funny man David Kibuuka, landed the job of his dreams when he was chosen to cover the World Cup in Brazil as a sport reporter for the news channel eNCA.

Comedian Kibuuka, part of the Emmy-nominated show, Late Nite News, spent a month in Brazil giving his irreverent and hilarious reports about how he experienced the host country.

From 11 June to 13 July 2014, eNCA viewers were able to follow him daily on his whacky adventures as Dave invited himself into people’s homes, learnt Capoeira, talked to rowdy locals, interviewed over-excited visitors, indulged in local cuisine, enjoyed local festivals and continued his hopeless search for love.

It was all part of Dave’s Big Break in Brazil, a three-minute sports report that flighted on eNCA during the prime time morning and evening news broadcasts throughout the Soccer World Cup in Brazil. Presenter David Kibuuka, and a crew of five, were flown to Brazil, where they filmed and edited all 33 episodes of Dave’s Big Break on location in the cities of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Salvador. Post-production took place in South Africa, from where the daily broadcasts were submitted to eNCA.

Kibuuka’s adventures also took place online on BrightRock’s Change Exchange (www.changeexchange.co.za), a dynamic online platform that taps into the emotions behind consumers’ biggest financial decisions. It is a space where people can learn from others going through the same “Change Moments”, ask questions and share experiences. The Change Exchange focuses on four key Change Moments, which include “Starting a family”, “Tying the knot”, “Landing that job” and “Making a home”.

Dave’s Big Break, which linked to the Change Moment of “Landing that Job”, slotted into the Change Exchange’s focus on shared experiences, by allowing viewers to share in Dave’s many setbacks and witness his unfaltering belief in his status as “Senior Sports Reporter” – which was eventually rewarded (albeit in an unexpected guise) when he made his debut as a rap artist in the final episodes.

To marry these different forms of entertainment into cohesive content while maintaining the link to the Change Exchange and the concept of Change Moments, BrightRock took its inspiration from the two eponymous anti-heroes of Tom Stoppard’s absurdist play, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz Are Dead. As incidental characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, these two anti-heroes have much in common with the hapless David Kibuuka who somehow managed to miss the point (and all the games) of his month-long sports-reporting gig in Brazil.

Dave’s Big Break in Brazil was a tactical extension of BrightRock’s unique approach to creating consumer awareness of its brand and product offering. Both the choice of eNCA as a partner and the choice of content – which brought together the diverse genres of news, comedy and sport – were informed by BrightRock’s research into the interests and viewing habits of consumers in its market segment.

Suzanne Stevens, Executive Director at BrightRock explains: “Dave’s Big Break allowed us to take this concept to our target audience by knitting our brand into current news and sports events in an engaging and fun way on a platform and at a time that we knew would reach – and, through entertaining content, engage – our target audience.”

eNCA echoes the sentiment. “It was an excellent opportunity for us to work with a great brand on such a novel concept, says Patrick Conroy, MD of eNCA. “We enjoy innovative clients who are willing to engage our audience in a different way to which they are accustomed. We look forward to more of this in the future.”

According to Stevens, BrightRock – which operates in the life insurance sector – had identified an opportunity to engage with consumers at a more personal, emotional level. Industry research shows that consumers’ propensity to initiate a life insurance purchase is far higher at these times. A 2012 study in the Journal of Risk and Insurance* found that new parents were 40% more likely to buy life insurance cover. It also showed an increase in self-initiated life insurance purchases when starting a new job.

“These significant life changes not only impact consumers’ finances, but also their health, lifestyle and sense of identity. BrightRock has identified an opportunity to engage with consumers at a more personal, emotional level.

“Traditionally, the role life insurance plays at these times is limited to the financial aspects of the change, and the interaction between provider and consumer tends towards the factual and rational. But these are moments that reshape the way we look at the world, and the way the world looks at us. The emerging field of behavioural economics has shown that people are far more driven by emotions and unconscious biases when making financial decisions than previously thought. BrightRock operates in this space, where emotions and money meet,” says Stevens.

“As our product is designed to change with you as your financial interests shift at these major, life changing moments, we believe these moments are exactly the right time to be engaging with consumers in a way that addresses both the financial and emotional impacts.”

“Our product addresses people’s financial needs, and our aim with the Change Exchange is to also help people navigate some of the other aspects of these moments, regardless of whether they’re a BrightRock client or not. Dave’s Big Break made it possible for us to amplify this message and reach many more consumers in our target audience.”

Stevens says BrightRock saw a significant increase in social media traffic and online conversations throughout the Dave’s Big Break campaign.

“We’re confident the campaign increased awareness not only of the BrightRock brand, but of our change-loving ethos” concludes Stevens.

You can view episodes of Dave’s escapades in Brazil at BrightRock’s YouTube channel – BrightRock TV. And you can visit www.changeexchange.co.za for more from Dave’s Big Break in Brazil and to access a wealth of interesting and original content on Change Moments from BrightRock.