The campaign is 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.
"In order to convey our message, we wanted to portray a single-minded story that people could relate to," says Phatheka Ncwana, head of marketing at Nedgroup Investments. "The story needed to illustrate the importance of calmness and drawing on your experience, especially in challenging situations."
"After a widespread search for examples, one story really stood out for us. It is the story of a remarkable event that has been dubbed 'The Miracle on the Hudson'."
When US Airways flight 1549 left La Guardia airport in New York City on 15 January 2009, it was an ordinary morning for all passengers but, just a few minutes after take-off, the plane struck a flock of Canadian geese and lost thrust in both engines. Passengers heard a couple of tremendous bangs to the plane, followed by an eerie silence.
Within moments, what had started as an ordinary morning became an emergency. The pilot had less than three minutes to decide on a course of action that would ultimately save the lives of all passengers and crew on-board. Under extreme pressure, Captain Chelsey B Sullenberger remained calm and surveyed his options. He could turn around and head back to the airport he had come from; he could try to land at nearby Teterboro airport; or he could glide down and 'ditch' the plane in the Hudson River. He chose the latter and captained what many have described as, "the most successful ditching in aviation history." All 155 passengers and crew on board were safely evacuated and Captain Sullenberger was the last to leave the cabin after ensuring everybody was out.
"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," says Ncwana. "Just as the captain's passengers trusted his ability to keep them safe, so our investors trust us to look after their funds and make the right decisions.
"We believe that experience matters most when things are not going well. Had the captain given in to his emotions in the moment of crisis, there would have been devastating consequences for the passengers. He also had a vested interest in landing that plane safely, just as our investment managers have a vested interest in the success of the funds they manage for our investors."
