Nedbank Confronts South Africa's Money Taboo with 'Secrets' Short Film Stunt

Following the launch of See Money Differently in 2017, African banking solution Nedbank has launched its latest campaign aimed at being far more engaging than traditional television advertising. The bank challenged agency Joe Public to “get South Africans to talk about a subject more taboo than sex” – money. This new campaign thus focused on how many South Africans simply avoid thinking and talking about their finances – refusing to deal with their money challenges, bad decisions, and current situations. In doing so, they continue to make decisions that are not good for them.

Nedbank and Joe Public challenged this notion, asking South Africans to take the first step in being better with their money – that is, to talk about it – with the apparent launch of a new film entitled 'Secrets.' This movie launch started with an unbranded trailer that aimed to create intrigue and get audiences to question what the big secret behind the film was. Joe Bank then revealed the reality of the stunt in cinemas – movie premiere style – where a 15-minute film was shown, revealing at the end that it was in fact a campaign for Nedbank.

The film was a real wake-up call for a country that is struggling with money issues – including overspending, debt, poor retirement planning, mismanaged funds, and illegal/corrupt investment schemes. The film is accompanied by two shorter pieces – Ben's Story and Sizwe's Story – that give insight into two characters suffering with money.

This taboo-breaking wake-up call aims to encourage South Africans to be more open and honest about their money behaviour and decisions.