A groom's shocking wedding speech makes for a brilliant retirement-planning ad

Talk about brilliant opening lines! Four seconds into this film from NTUC Income and BBH Singapore, a groom giving a speech at his wedding banquet announces that he grew up with "the worst parents in the world". He even has a Powerpoint.

In a society where filial piety still matters—a lot—it's hard to conceive of a more mortifying opening. No one in the target audience will be able to ignore it.

Fortunately, the rest of the four and a half minute film lives up to that staggering beginning. Based on the campaign title, 'The best gift for your child', the brand could have gone in sentimentally dreadful directions. But the excellent performance of the lead actor carries the viewer through to the resolution of that shocking setup line, and makes the message (that parents should plan for their retirement so as not to burden their adult children) all the more powerful.

Ad Nut appreciates the challenge that financial companies face here in Asia, where just a generation ago it was absolutely common and expected that children would support their parents in their elder years. That expectation still exists in many families, and changing an entrenched, cultural mindset like that is going to require strong stuff. So kudos to Income for not shying away from controversial territory. 

Ad Nut is sure you'll agree this is way better than another insurance brand's recent effort: "HSBC re-hatches insurance brand, with a tepid egg story".

The Income campaign runs through 30 November and includes digital, social, cinema, TV and outdoor.  

CREDITS

Client: Income
Executive Creative Director: Joakim Borgstrom
Creative Directors: Janson Choo & Khairul Mondzi
Planning Director: Thomas Wagner
Account Planner: Amanda Lim
Content Strategist: Audrey Phoon
Account Directors: Chloe Fair & Manavi Sharma
Producer: Kim Lim
Production house: Freeflow Productions
Director: Roslee Yusof

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