Parental pressure and family worries dominate NTUC’s ‘The Last Sandwich Generation’ campaign
A new campaign for NTUC Income called ‘The Last Sandwich Generation’ makes a case for investing early and saving for retirement.
Created by BBH Singapore, a campaign film called ‘The Promise’ chronicles the life of a young man struggling to meet the demands of his elderly parents, even as he tries to start a family of his own.
Considering the film’s protagonist talks about being “given everything while growing up”, the new campaign can be seen as an inversion of the ‘Worst Parents in the World’ idea from last year.
The campaign was built around research commissioned by Income and conducted by Kantar which revealed that 94% of individuals that fell within the ‘sandwich generation’ – having to care for elderly parents and young children – feel financially pressured. Among young Singaporeans, 80% fear they will become the next sandwich generation.
And 60% of this burgeoning sandwich generation has not started planning for retirement. However, nine in 10 parents believed they are better placed to prevent their children from becoming the next Sandwich Generation.
Speaking about the campaign Income chief marketing officer Marcus Chew said: “We believe that today’s generation of parents have better access to the knowledge and financial tools to be independent in their retirement years, as compared to their own parents before.
“By planning their retirement, they can ensure their children will not have to be ‘sandwiched’ in future since their parents are financially independent. We hope that our target audience will embrace this message that we have shared through a relatable campaign.”
BBH Singapore creative director Janson Choo added: “The thing about being a sandwich generation is that many of us have a defeatist attitude towards it. We think of it almost like part of adulthood or growing up, and it becomes a vicious cycle from parent to child.
“So when Marcus and his team proposed the idea of ending the ‘sandwich generation’, it immediately resonated with us. There is a way out. It’s not going to be easy, but we can be the last, so that our children won’t have to be sandwiched in the future.”
The campaign will play out over three months across social, digital, out of home and in-store advertising
Credits:
Agency: BBH Singapore
Chief creative officer: Joakim Borgstrom
Executive creative Director: Sascha Kuntze
Creative directors: Janson Choo & Khairul Mondzi
Account director: Manavi Sharma
Account manager: Priscilla Lim
Head of planning: Thomas Wagner
Strategist: Amanda Lim
Agency producer: Kim Lim
Production company: Freeflow Productions
Director: Roslee Yusof
Audio production: Fuse Adventures in Audio
Client: NTUC Income
Chief marketing officer: Marcus Chew
Head – brand marketing: Chloe Fair
Senior executive – brand marketing: Charis Leong
Obviously the target market is OTHER PLANNERS
ReplyWhat do you mean?
ReplyBBH & Income did it again. Likely another viral ad. Well done!
ReplyBBH Singapore has created a pathbreaking new kind of work over the past few years, which is, work that is appreciated widely by BBH Singapore and confuses everyone else. Work that BBH Singapore thinks will rock the world but everyone else finds self-indulgent and trying too hard.
ReplyHi Snoopy
Can you share what are some of the effective non-self-indulgent work, in your opinion? Your comment felt like a waste of space and doesn’t add value to readers. I am sure you will not make such comments if you have to use your real identity.
Charlie
ReplySpeaks the truth though.
BBH is recent years appear to be producing two executions for each campaign. First is the ads that consumers will see – the generic print ad above. Second is the cheesy, over indulgent “family values” five minute video made for the trades and other agencies to watch – see video above.
It’s a formula that I guess works, but appears to be a giant waste of money for the client
ReplyI’m a consumer. I watched the 5 min ad on YouTube without skipping. It’s great work and resonates with the right audience, not just agencies.
ReplyYou’re not a consumer. They don’t use dweeby words like ‘resonates’
ReplyA consumer who reads Mumbrella? No, you are most likely someone who works in the industry and your comment therefore supports my point.
And what does ‘resonate’ mean, and how do you know this work ‘resonates’ with the ‘right audience’? In fact, what does any of that even mean???
Reply‘Sandwich Generation’ is a term that should stay within a brief, its not a consumer facing term. Overall it’s yet another grim depressing insurance ad that tries to scare you. The usual social media bots will
Replyshower likes and comments but that doesn’t change it.
Spot on.
Reply… Is a term that planners use and only planners understand. Doubt the man on the street will know wtf that even means. Also, the creative team on the job seems to be [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] of making long emo videos
ReplyYou guys should start consuming news and not just ads, living in the world of only advertising doesn’t improve your brain and perspective. Sandwich generation is universally understood and has been used in govt communication to Singaporeans. If you don’t understand, you are probably rich enough, you are all alone in this world without dependents, probably non Asian who don’t understand the concept of filial piety. This is an ad for the Singapore market, true local insights, don’t judge, go read the comments and forums to understand a real Singaporean issue.
Please share a link of your works, am sure you will not dare to because only people who has done nothing good make comments like that. For me, I have never done any work I can be proud of, that is probably why I am here.
Love, Charlie
Reply… and the very first time in my life I heard the term “sandwich generation” was in this ad.
ReplySo sad for you, must be quite a loser.
Replysandwich generation
Replynoun
noun: sandwich generation; plural noun: sandwich generations
a generation of people, typically in their thirties or forties, responsible both for bringing up their own children and for the care of their ageing parents.
Sandwich generation
White-collar commuter forced by circumstance to eating a sandwich while waiting for the bus to arrive.
ReplyThe main lead bad acting spoilt the entire ad.
ReplyDidn’t know taking bus is consider a sacrifice?
ReplyThey clearly sneer at print because they don’t even know how to create an idea that employs the medium well. Ive never seen anything so listless…looks like the planner wrote and art directed it.
How about shooting the same perspective and lighting, but with one of these sandwich people lying between an elderly parent and a young kid?
Then maybe ask: Are you caught between providing for your kids and parents?
It ain’t great but at least it talks normally to the consumer instead
Replyof hitting them with stupid terms.
A very 90s visual idea.
ReplyBut nevertheless one with an idea.
Consumers, unlike ad folk, don’t grade advertising by declaring
which decade it belongs to. Actually, if you must attempt to categorise, this isn’t a “90s visual” but a very 60s visual. You have elevated it by about 3 decades. But it’s appropriate for a very conservative category. The present lighting and colour grading make up for any false notions of antiquity.
I also hate how the copywriter has decided to use ‘Our’ as her lead-in instead of ‘Your’….makes it read like a lecture….which it is
clearly meant to sound like. Tsk tsk.
Anyway, just trying to rejig their current non-idea, using their own elements to project a semblance of respectability. You can’t really polish a (bleep) that much.
ReplyMakes so much more sense than this self indulgent drivel of a spot.
ReplyHello NTUC – I was looking for an insurance company but disregarded yours because of this terrible TVC. Who signs off on this?
Surely there must be more to insurance ads than these flaccid attempts at tearjerkers? Granted, the wedding speech ad last year was interesting. But it is all getting stale and boring now. The [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] need to break that formula and change the perception that [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] self-indulgent long emotional videos. Unfortunately they also don’t do emotional videos quite [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].
ReplyIt seems like everything BBH does get slams here. [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] all the disgruntled ad people who probably have not done any notable work. Quite sad!
ReplyThis is actually one of the least flak possible already.
ReplyI think they don’t need the ad world approval but just approval from the public. The fact that is has the whole nation talking about sandwich generation means something?
ReplyAny proof that the whole nation is talking about sandwich generation? LOL
Or just making up stuff….much like this agency’s belief that they are
Replycreatively [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines].
This ad encouraged people to buy insurance plans for retirement but I watched this ad and dislike it. It has passed a very wrong message! As long as we have parent to take care and kids to raise, we are sandwich generation. This is responsibility. This ad promote selfishness as the main lead concern for his next generation only but neglected the feeling of his parent. He knew he was given everything while growing up so he should appreciate his parent. Taking bus? Can’t go overseas far away? What kind of sacrifice he has compare to his parent? His parent spent time, energy, love, care and money to raise him. Self reflection is important, do not blame others. Where is our Asian values? ” Bai shan xiao wei xian” – Of all virtues filial piety is most important. Please come out with better ad.
ReplyI find this ad distasteful. Singapore is a place with still strong Confucian values like filial piety. Yet this ad talks about how appropriate and correct it is to neglect giving back to your parents after you have grown up, till the extent that your parents have to blatantly request for better hospital ward. I am a sandwiched generation with children to take care, and I will frown upon such attitude of my children if they grow up. The man in the ad was trying too hard to justify his self-centeredness, and kind of in a pathetic manner.
I will rate this ad 1/10. The 1 mark is given to the old father’s acting.
ReplyThis ad is not only distasteful; it’s irksome. It is so [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] and out of touch with the Singapore context where we practised Confucian values – sacrifice for children and filial piety.
The young man is depicted as an ingrate who only knows how to take and does not know how to give back. Not only does not know how to give back, the ad justifies his pain and depression in not giving back but provide generously for his new born baby (single bedded ward/suite in hospital when can only afford a C ward for mother?!) ~ like serves his parents right for not planning well and buying income insurance. You see, his parents provided him everything and left nothing for themselves! He is lucky he had a sandwich to munch. His parents missed a meal or two in order to bring him up with all they can afford. This is Confucian value which this [Edited under Mumbrella’s community guidelines] ad has no clue at all.
Whoever wrote this ad and used the ‘sandwich generation’ on this young man and the likes, please wake up from your ignorance because EVERY GENERATION IS A SANDWICH GENERATION if you are are born and bred in this part of the world!! Your parents and your parents’ parents and your children are all sandwiched generation when they became/become responsible adults.
Don’t just dream about an ad or talk only to ‘your sandwiched generation’ when designing such ads. Do your research and comb through the facts thoroughly. Many in your ‘sandwiched generation’ are still dependent on their parents on housing, wedding expenses, children education, looking after the grandchildren, etc etc. Unlike their parents, many of your sandwiched generations’ parents are financially independent. And would be much happier and would be able to afford luxuries like first class ward if they do not need to help out your sandwiched generation!
ReplyHave your say