At African Bank ‘Everybody is Somebody’, a Black River F.C. campaign

Black River F.C. brings the brand campaign to life across various platforms

Black River F.C. was awarded the African Bank business as its above-the-line (ATL) communications partner in December 2018 and with this new role, the Agency has been responsible for driving the brand’s performance and connecting the business to its current and incoming customer base.

The brand campaign ‘Everybody is Somebody’ is about treating everyone as an important person, regardless of their bank balance, social status, race or gender. This campaign, produced by Black River FC, sought to show that African Bank doesn’t discriminate – it is a bank that sees people for who they are, not for their socio-economic status.

Trevor Ndhlovu, Managing Director of Black River FC, says: “People with money are treated better than those who have less. African Bank is the bank that stands against classism and treats all its customers with respect, irrespective of what’s going on with their banking accounts – this is how ‘Everybody is Somebody’ came about.

“Through ‘Everybody is Somebody’, we are communicating and educating the current and potential African Bank customer on what the Bank stands for.”

African Bank’s new MyWORLD™ account was developed and based on the ‘Everybody is Somebody’ positioning. It’s a day-to-day, digitally-enabled bank account that is designed to suit every customer’s unique needs. The Bank shifts banking from individual needs to shared needs.

“Everybody is Somebody’ is a brand sentiment that speaks to the Bank’s intention of being inclusive. So MyWorld™, with its functionality of being a bank account made to share, makes the brand proposition tangible,” says Ndhlovu.

George Roussos, Group executive of digital and transactional banking at African Bank, says the product offers people – families and communities – the unique ability to bank together through shared banking – hence the ‘Made to Share’ link. “The Primary Account Holder can add up to five additional accounts under the main account, with a maximum of six accounts. With no monthly account fees on any of the accounts, it has taken the various life-stages of its customers into consideration,” he explains.

The account automatically comes with a Power Pocket and a Savings Pocket. The Primary Account Holder can decide, to a maximum of five, the combination of each type of Pocket. A Power Pocket has its own debit card to complete transactions. The Primary Account Holder can allocate a User to each of the Pockets. Users of Power Pockets have access to their own debit card and their account is fully transactable. This means that the Primary Account Holder can save with friends and family or give access to banking to a loved one who may not yet be banked. “With the lowest banking fees, African Bank’s MyWORLD™ gives customers the opportunity to save up to 30% on banking fees and in today’s tough economic times, that’s real value,” says Roussos.

Since its launch in mid-May 2019, over 28 000 customers have opened MyWORLD™ accounts. The longer-term benefits are to enable African Bank to reach out to a larger customer base as well as the retention of their existing customers through the offering of a market-leading and exciting transactional banking products.