Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Bank on experience for survival
Nedgroup ‘invested’ in story of pilot landing plane against odds
HEN you’re looking for a way to illustrate the calmness, reason and experience you get from a good investment manager, what do you do? You look for a man who still believes that he is not a hero and that he was just doing his job when he saved the lives of 160 people.
Captain Chesley Sullenberger made history on January 15, 2009, when he safely ditched an Airbus A320 airliner in the Hudson River in New York, after both of its engines flamed out due to a bird strike.
All 155 passengers and crew were rescued from the icy river before the plane sank. Aviation experts have
Wcalled the landing one of the finest pieces of flying in history.
For the past two years, Nedgroup Investments has been running a campaign themed “Emotion vs Reason” and Phatheka Ncwana, head of marketing, said that when it came to putting together the latest TV commercial, the story of Sullenberger and US Airways flight 1549 “really stood out”.
It perfectly matched Nedgroup Investments’ message, which was about the “importance of calmness and drawing on your experience, especially in challenging circumstances”.
“This story of a pilot’s skill and expertise, and more importantly his calmness under pressure, met the criteria we were looking for to portray our ‘Best of Breed’ investment philosophy,” said Ncwana.
“Just as Captain Sullenberger’s passengers trusted his ability to keep them safe, so our investors trust us to look after their funds and make the right decisions.”
The commercial was a collaboration between Nedgroup Investments, visual marketing communications agency Brandlab, and Giant Films, who produced the broadcast advert. Besides broadcast advertising, the campaign will also include outdoor and online activations as well as strategic social media elements.
The ad was directed by Giant Films’ Ian Gabriel, following a concept by Brandlab creative director Mark Fisher. The 45-second commercial was shot on location in New York.
With a South African scale budget and sinking rand, this meant that, barring aerial photography, Gabriel had to shoot for one extended day only, “which meant we needed to move the crew around at the somewhat more hectic pace of a South African rather than a New York film shoot”.
Giant used American crew to shoot the New York footage and got Sullenberger to speak about the incident, which he still won’t classify as heroism.
After that, the real work began, with weeks of intensive special effects and computer-generated graphics to bring the amazing event to life.
Giant Films paid tribute to Marco Reposo de Barbosa and the 3D team at South African post- production house Black Ginger, because they “excelled themselves, helping Giant to deliver a world-class commercial in record time”.