KBC – The Talk Halfway
KBC
Issue 29 | December 2013
Agency
TBWA Belgium
Creative Team
Creative Directors Jan Macken Gert Pauwels Copywriters Paul Van Oevelen Art Directors Tony Naudts-Ducene Radio Crew Paul Van Oevelen Chiara De Decker Online Art Director Lander Janssens Design Hendrik Everaerts Estelle Vanduynslager
Production Team
RTV Production SAKE Mike Vandewalle Online Production TBWA Digital Arts Network Brussels Jan Casier Diederik Van Remoortere Ken Kools Stijn Dupas Gunther Sijmens Yannick Van Der Goten Print Production TBWA Belgium Elly Laureys Caroline Stiernet
Other Credits
Account Team Catherine Hamers Katrien Crabbe Geert Potargent Strategy Bert Denis Vicky Willems Media Arts Sylvie Dewaele
Date
May 2013
Background
For people still some twenty years off retirement, the sad fact was that their pension provisions were unlikely to be enough to help them maintain their living standards in retirement.
KBC wanted people in their mid-forties to start thinking about their retirement plans – urgently. However, they did not want to come across as if they were simply a bank trying to sell a product.
Idea
The strategy was not to let the bank do the talking but to get pensioners themselves to give help and advice.
The world's oldest call centre was created, staffed entirely by pensioners from all walks of life.
Print, radio and banner ads led to the KBC website, which was the campaign hub. Here, visitors could choose which pensioner matched their profile best and with whom they could have the most useful conversation.
Clicking on the agent profile led to a phone call or video hangout.
Similarly, clicking on a video banner, showing call centre agents in real time, also led to an immediate connection.
Results
On average over 30 people per hour called (telephone and video chat combined). The average conversation lasted a whopping 15 minutes. But most importantly, The Halfway Talk quickly became a lasting concept about retirement planning and provided the name for a new KBC service, the mid-career financial check-up. With only one goal: to help customers have a better life after working.
Our Thoughts
Four years ago I can remember suggesting to one financial services client that
rather than spend GBP £10m on a TV campaign few would notice and even fewer be influenced by, it might be cheaper to hire a roomful of people and get them to tweet, post on social media and telephone potential customers direct. He thought I was mad, even though it
was already something of a conference cliche´ to suggest that people believe other people more than they believe any brand message. Then, as now, very, very few marketers left the conferences persuaded they should change their methodologies. So this campaign from TBWA Belgium is for all conference organisers out there. Take heart. The (wo)man from KBC did listen and did act upon what she heard and this is the result. I hope it brings home the bacon.