Santam best insurance advert on TV

Only the best insurance company gets the Vizier to represent them in their television ads. Not only is it a testament to their advertising budget, but it also wins them awards. Santam took home the silver Loerie in the TV and Cinema Short Format category for their commercial starring Sir Ben Kingsley. That’s right, the academy-award winner look-alike was the real deal.

The television spot was aired to introduce the rebranded Santam as just that, the real McCoy, with real McCoy insurance policies. The point behind the advert, according to creative director at King James advertising, Devin Kennedy, was to reintroduce the rebranded insurance company as the leader in the market, one that is recognizable from look-alikes. Santam’s premise, ‘Insurance good and proper’, still symbolized by the yellow umbrella, intends to differentiate the leading insurance company as a provider of real insurance… which is neither cheap nor fast.

The campaign shows the difference between quick, over-the-phone policies that look like the real deal, but are as authentic as a stunt double, and who better to play the role than the guy who played Gandhi’s stunt double? Santam’s rebranding is seeks to similarly differentiate itself from competitors, while offering car and home insurance, as well as business insurance. Sister company, Sanlam, deals with long-term insurance products.

Santam best insurance advert rating

The Loeries recognize the best in branding over the previous year, and judge each submission according to conceptual innovation and execution, as well as relevance to the brand, target audience and chosen medium.

The entries are anonymous, as the judges are not told which agencies submitted the work. First round of voting sees the judges say yay or nay to the entry, while second round sees remaining entries get scored between 0 and 100. Final scores are not shared among the judges and only the jury chairman reviews the scores to determine Gold, Silver and Bronze awards.

Santam’s silver Loerie follows their rating as best insurance company in South Africa. The rating was done by independent brokers, as was announced by the Financial Services Board. This year marks the third year in a row that the insurance company received the accolade.