Sanlam - "Uk'shona Kwelanga - A WhatsApp Drama Series"

South Africa, 2 September 2019: It’s a whole new world. A new fantastic point of view. And there’s never been a better time to be an investor.

In a time of pervasive negativity, Sanlam’s evocative new TVC and through-the-line campaign collages together a symphony of incredible innovations and precious human moments to remind us to see the good. To choose to see the opportunity. Created by The King James Group, the advert edits together found footage of political speeches, talk shows, Ted Talks, news clips and more, to voice the nostalgic ‘Whole New World’ track we all know and love.

We flash through a series of life-changing moments, featuring iconic faces like Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; futurist Stafford Masie; poet Koleka Putuma; theoretical physicist and Mars One Project finalist Dr Adriana Marais; ballet dancer Mthuthuzeli November; inventor Kiara Nirghin; and South African rapper, Rouge. We see a baby smile after receiving a cochlear implant in Johannesburg. We see Tilly Lockey flex her incredible robotic arms. We dive into the ocean to witness the world’s first sea-grown crops. We fly through solar wind farms, celebrate love at a Pride festival and relive that supersonic Stratos freefall.

And in doing so, we remember, there’s so much potential, everywhere. Jared Osmond, Creative Director at The King James Group, says, “Negative sentiment is contagious. And the problem is that often there’s no evidential basis for such extreme views of the world. We wanted to step back and see if there were examples of ideas, individuals and opportunities that told a different story. One that bristles with possibility.

The idea was ambitious from the outset, so we were in unchartered territory for 99% of the process. The final edit is 65 seconds long and has 64 shots. That’s a lot for any commercial. But when you consider that our shots had to be stock or found footage to live up to the idea, this became an insane task. Each individual we identified had to represent the avant-garde or cutting edge of their field, which made getting rights and access to their clips very complicated.”

Osmond adds the campaign encapsulates the fact that Sanlam Investment’s offering is currently and will only become more innovative. “This comes down to thinking applied to portfolio structuring and the Alphas they’re constantly investigating and evaluating. But when you step out from behind their product curtain for a moment, you also realise that their attitude to the world is itself an innovation.”

The world of investing has dramatically changed. And that can either be something that’s terrifying or amazing. It all comes down to perception. Sanlam Investments believes there’s never been a better time to invest. With the rise of technology comes an abundance of innovation. But it’s also about human connection and an innate optimism to make the world a better place.

Think about impact investing and the desire to sustainably give back. Or investing in the Mars mission to fuel our race to find a new home in space. Or investing in offshore – namely ocean-floor food security. Or investing in buildings +1 km high into the sky to accommodate mass urban dwellers. Or investing in robotics and giving young people like Tilly Lockey bionic limbs.

Nersan Naidoo, Chief Executive of Sanlam Investments says, “We know there’s a lot we need to fix. But we also need to recognise all the wondrous, miraculous things happening in this world right now. It’s captured in that baby’s face when she hears her mother’s voice for the first time. As leaders in investments, we wanted to show investors that there’s never been a better time to invest. We’re living in a time of unprecedented opportunity, where there’s a chance to invest in things that potentially have a ground-breaking impact on how we live, heal, give back and connect. It’s a whole new world indeed.”

The TV ad launches on 1 September.