Westpac extends ‘Proudly Supporting Australia’ platform in latest campaign via DDB Sydney
Westpac has launched its latest work via DDB Sydney, which embraces the quintessential Australian spirit of mateship and people helping people.
The creative launches nationally across TV, digital, out of home and social. The TV spot is set to David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ covered by Gang of Youths.
Westpac Group Head of Brand, Advertising & Media, Jenny Melhuish, said the creative showcases the importance of a helping hand, and draws on Westpac’s brand promise of helping in the moments that matter: Says Melhuish: “As Westpac enters its third century, we want to continue the essence of our Proudly Supporting Australia positioning, while drawing on what makes us truly Australian.”
“For Australians it is this unique spirit of helping one another that makes us special. As the nation’s oldest company and first bank, Westpac has played a role in the lives of many Australians for more than 200 years – whether it is helping people buy a home, save for a family, start a business, or in times of emergency or natural disasters.
“Providing great service and helping in the moments that matter to our people, customers and communities is what defines us as a brand and sets the course for our future.”
Building on the momentum on Westpac’s 200 year milestone, DDB Managing Partner Chiquita King says the work is evidence of a great partnership and was born out of strategic imperatives: “Inspired by historical moments, this is only the start but a pivotal part of what we want to achieve. This campaign is a perfect example of DDB’s belief in emotionally driven work.
“We are incredibly proud of the role we’ve played in supporting Australians. Last year we helped more than 146,000 Australians into their homes and prevented around $100 million of potential fraud activity. Since 1999 we’ve granted more than $34 million to nearly 600 not-for-profit organisations; and we’ve supported the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service over the last four decades, which has completed more than 80,000 missions.”
Client: Westpac
Agency: DDB Sydney
Director: Mark Molloy
Production Company: Exit Films
Editor: Jack Hutchings The Butchery
Photographer: Andreas Smetana
Music: David Bowie ‘Heroes’ covered by Gang of Youths
Music Supervision: Level Two Music
Sound Design: Nylon Studios
Post Production: ALT VFX
Casting Director: Stevie Ray CGA
63 Comments
Really love this, nice work DDB.
Ill-conceived and ill-timed, self serving, chest beating poppycock. Stop drinking the Kool Aid and stand for something distinctive and authentic instead of the well worn historical brand play.
This will go down well with any farmer who knows anyone who went through a foreclosure with Westpac – or anyone who remembers the ‘banana’ debacle.
You’re a bank. Stop trying to be loved and spend your money on a rate cut instead of hiking them unnecessarily.
Oh and stop doing this: http://www.bankvictims.com.au/index.php/mortgage-victims/item/11928-home-loan-customers-in-arrears-whacked-by-higher-interest-rates
Epic. Well done to Westpac and DDB. If all clients invested into storytelling, craft and music like this the industry would be much better off.
Didn’t NRMA just do this?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Y2fJ2KzbQ
At least it’s a 100% better than the NRMA embarrassment
They sure did. But nowhere near as well. Beautiful spot DDB.
Not sure banks and help go together. And given NRMA have owned Help for years why would the agency and client go down the same path. The answer isn’t our help campaign is better than yours….
Helping someone isn’t exclusive to being Australian. It’s fundamental humanity. Gotta love big brand claims.
Then they say “Australians are kind, therefore we are kind”.
That’s it, that’s the joke.
The only people Westpac are supporting are themselves.
All brand claims aside, how’s the execution on the story! Such a lovely spot you can rewatch time and time again. All agencies, prod companies and young directors take note!
It’s a shame it’s for Westpac (or any bank) because let’s face it, banks aren’t there to help you, they’re there to make as much money off you as possible and as noted by @F You Westpac, sting you when you’re already down.
That aside, what a brilliant ad – brilliant storytelling, brilliant talent, brilliant production, brilliant everything. Well done DDB (and Westpac) for making one of the most beautiful ads in recent ad history.
We have a helicopter. And did we mention we have a helicopter? Please turn up the helicopter SFX at the end. K. Ta.
Great execution and love the line too.
Well that’s something you don’t see every day. Congrats to all. That’s one big, proper ad.
Compare the production values between this and NRMA and Monkeys should feel embarrassed.Worlds apart.
A very nice ad about people helping other people who are in need of help. Next time I am involved in a workplace accident constructing a bridge, or stack my wheelchair, or find myself swept away in a flood, or find myself 10cm dilated on a bush road screaming out in agony I will phone Westpac for assistance. Thanks Westpac. This is exactly what Australia needs. A bank that hitches its brand wagon to random bystanders lending a hand. Are they now ambassadors for Westpac? What the actual. But wow, what a beautiful piece of film. But the message is something else. Westpac, yes, you have a helicopter. Congrats. Doesn’t buy you the rights to every act of kindness in the country. But it’s a killer spot. But it’s a reach. Great spot though. Will watch again.
cgi is amazing!!!!
This has been rolled in a lot of glitter.
why is every regional shot in a montage spot in a fucking vintage romanticised style. Its not the 1960’s. Looks like a country practice. Oh yeh, nice helicopter too. What you have a helicopter?
You can tell which brands have developed a ‘brand purpose’ recently… they’re the one’s doing work that could come from any brand whatsoever.
Well done
Yeah, it’s pretty. But how does one small Indian girl constitute representation for a multicultural Australia? I get that this is a retrospective, but you’re speaking to a diverse Australia — one that’s been home to various cultures for decades. This spot is alienating and one dimensional — again white people in advertising talking to more white people.
We said the same thing better…
This is disingenuous c-suite social purpose hogwash.
Nice helicopter though.
Loved the scene on the bus. It’s nice that they let her sit with the white kids on the way to Nauru.
It’s
a
big
ad.
Its a big ad, but a brilliant one and much better than NRMA. Look forward to seeing it come to life
Great production. Average ad.
NRMA production pales in comparison.Absolutely no competition.The scenes look phoney and cheap.Westpac was obviously in the hands of a world class director with a real budget.
Production values out of this world. The return of the big ad.
Makes NRMA look like an animatic. Well done guys.
Epic Harbour Bridge scenes, love those.
However the rest are hampered by political correctness and cliches.
Almost a great ad. Definitely a big ad. Good to see those still exist.
The issue isn’t which ad has better production values – it’s that somehow one of Australia’s biggest blue-chip clients has been in the market for 6 weeks with the line: Australians. Help is who we are. And then Westpac comes out with: Help. It’s what Australians do. Does originality or even the basic principle of differentiation not even matter anymore? Seriously, how hard is it to google your idea? This is embarrassing for DDB and Westpac.
Pretty sure the Westpac ad was in production long before the NRMA one. All good things take time. 😉
6 weeks is probably what it took to post the Harbour Bridge scene alone.
Brent, one of Australia’s biggest blue chip clients? Really? Punters won’t have even noticed it so I don’t think it’s going to confuse anyone. And I agree it would have been in production long before NRMA was even a twinkle in your mothers eye.
Great to see a client invest in production again. See whats? Certainly not apples for apples. This spot will be remembered.
Let’s cut to the chase readers,this is just embarrassing.An insurance company and a bank in the space of 4 weeks both produce the VERY SAME campaign.No bullshit about production standards is going to change that.They are replicas of the each other,the lines are interchangeable and the music tracks are both depressingly spare and cold.Okay one has a helicopter,that same damn helicopter.
Could we please do away with the shit covers of great songs.
They’re on fucking everything at the moment.
laughing that the only thing the haters kind find to hate on is
a. the fact its from a bank
b. someone else said something else about ‘helping’
its epic – you all wish you worked on it. now go and do something so that one day you can
Thanks my friend. I love the fact that there are all of these negative comments. So previous posters, if you could put this on your reel you’d say no? You’re all a pack of liars. This spot would make you look way more talented than what you are. If you have a better spot than this, you’re me. And you’re not that good.
Your banks helping themselves to our money is what you do.
This is hard to defend DDB, despite your best effortd
Trust in banks is at an all time low.
You can’t re-build that trust with vacuous bling.
You have to start with the basics – one by one by one.
Then, when you’ve demonstrated you are changing – and have the clear evidence to prove it – you can then go out and say you’re all about HELPING people.
Otherwise, all people like me see, is a company acting exactly the same as it always has, offering the same products and services as it always has and delivering them in the same unhelpful manner as it always has (I’ve been a Westpac customer).
So, yes, beautifully shot, but ultimately ineffective, because it’s not true and there’s not evidence to prove otherwise.
Another cliched montage from a bank being investigated for not supporting Australians.
Please. At least NRMA is an insurance company. If the ad world want to laud this cynical, patronising heap of toss because it has high production values, that paper over it’s mediocrity, God help us. And poor, dead David Bowie has his name associated with it.
Oh for fucks sake they are the very SAME ad.Stop all this nonsense now.I can’t stand it any longer.What has gone so horribly wrong with this industry?
How on earth can Westpac say with a straight face that Australia is unique in the virtues of mateship, friendship or helping one another?
I know no other country where ‘mateship’ is even a word
Westpac launched “Help is what we do” in NZ in 2011 which means they’ve been in market for 6 years with variations of this line. From what I hear Brent Smart didn’t need to Google the idea to be aware of it, as you suggest, because he was the GAD on that Westpac campaign.
Gets popcorn. Takes seat. This is so good.
Agree! shit moody cover versions are on everything. please make it stop
This is embarrassing for both clients and both agencies.Above all for the lazy planners on both briefs.Help is a generic offering from any company that provides service of any kind
At how many idiots there are on this thread. Colin, Flo, Tod (who can’t even spell a fake name correctly), Hang About, Dell, JP but most of all, Strange. Honey, you come across as dumber than Flo. That’s hard to do.
that the post is epic. but it’s the kind of CG where you look at it in 5 years and it’s laughable. feels really cheesy.
The grade is also very 2012. stop with the creamy filter and lens flare. you can’t see anything, it’s an ad. not drive.
@everyonekeepssaying
Bitter much?
My son is having nightmares about floods after seeing this advert! It’s scary.
Not sure which is more pretentious/tacky the Westpac or NRMA advert.. Both piggyback on other people troubles and heroics..
They are not the Flying Doctor or WWF or UNECSO ..they are commercial companies in it for the money.. These adverts put me off using them.
Gang of Youths’ cover of Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ is brilliant! Still wouldn’t bank with this crew, but spot on sound ❤❤❤
I love the bright eyes and the smirk on the missing tooth dirty face hard working guy. Just love him. Is there a way to let him know how hood it makes me feel.
I agree with you
Proudly supporting Australians!
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/westpac-fought-disability-pensioner-carolyn-flanagan-s-hardship-plea-20180521-p4zgkt.html
That is one crappy advert! Painful schmalz over a misused Bowie track.
Heroic.