An ad by a bank about bereavement could have been cheesy. It could have seemed cynical. Neither is true here. The ad, by DDB Sydney for Westpac, goes straight to the heart and gives it a gentle tug. It even makes you smile through the tears that well up in your eyes. It’s the story of a man who’s something of a local hero – exaggerated, like the comments that surround anyone after they’ve died.  And it’s the hyperbole that makes it work. A wisp of humour is the antidote to sentimentality.

The ad culminates in the tagline, If you’ve lost a loved one, we’re here to help – “We’re here to help” being Westpac’s current platform.

Jenny Melhuish, group head of brand, advertising and media, Westpac, commented, “Life is full of unexpected moments, some joyful others uncertain, and working through the financial side of these moments can be a stressful time. With over 100,000 Westpac accounts held by customers who pass away each year, we wanted to capture the essence of support, while letting customers know they can reach out for help over the phone, online or by visiting us in branch. Supporting our people, customers and communities has always defined us as a brand and we remain committed to helping our customers in the moments that matter to them.” 

Credits:
 
Agency: DDB 
Chief Creative Officer: Ben Welsh
Executive creative Director: Tara Ford
Head of Art: Noah Regan
Creative Partner: Matt Chandler
Senior Art Director: Tristan Cornelius
Senior Copywriter: Guy Lemberg
Head of Integrated Content: Sevda Cemo
Senior Producer: Tash Johnson

Managing Partner: Chiquita King
Group Business Director: Topher Jones
Business Manager: Bianca Cohn
Planning Partner: Dom Hickey
Senior Planner: Joseph Smeaton

Production Company: Finch Company
Director: Christopher Riggert
DOP: Dimitri Karakatsanis
Managing Director: Corey Esse
Executive Producer: Karen Bryson
Producer: Camilla Mazzaferro

Editing: The Editors
Editors: Stewart Reeves & Bernard Garry Ase
Executive Producer: Nicoletta Rousianos

Grade: Nakatomi 
Colourist: Billy Wychgel
Producer: Kani Saib

VFX Online: BlackBird
VFX Supervisor: Nick Ponzoni
VFX Producer: Bonnie Wilkinson-Smith

Music Supervisor: Karl Richter @ Level Two
Music Track: I’ll Never Find Another You (Originally by The Seekers)
Re-record: Julia Jacklin

Sound Design: Song Zu
Engineer: Abigail Sie
Producer: Jess Bonney

Casting Company: McGregor Casting
Casting Director: Kirsty McGregor

Client: Westpac
Head of Consumer Marketing: Adrian McCaffrey
Head of Brand, Advertising & Media: Jenny Melhuish
Head of Westpac Advertising: Andrew Howie
Senior Manager Advertising: Loren Elsegood
Senior Manager Advertising: Amber Joyce