Standard Chartered is making an unusual pitch to Asia’s wealthy: a healthy mind and body are as important as a healthy balance sheet. In its latest campaign, WellnessNow, the bank trades the language of rates and returns for breathwork, meditation, and Ayurveda, some would say, a far cry from the usual imagery of yachts and skyscrapers.
At first glance, some might see it as an unusual pivot for a 170-year-old financial institution, perhaps even a touch gimmicky. After all, wellness has long been a convenient brand accessory, co-opted by everyone from fashion labels to bottled water brands. But in financial services, the idea is still relatively fresh. Banks typically trade in certainty and hard numbers; soft, lifestyle-driven concepts rarely enter the conversation. Standard Chartered is making the case that, for clients who already have “enough,” wealth and wellness aren’t competing priorities—they’re two sides of the same coin.
“Many of our affluent and high-net-worth clients have already made it from a financial perspective,” says Haymans Fung, global head of marketing for wealth and retail banking at Standard Chartered. “Of course, they want to grow more wealth – everyone wants more money. But at the same time, it’s very important to them that they have the health – and the mental and physical wellness – to sustain their wealth and continue their journey.”
This insight is driving what she calls the “wealth continuum” approach – a recognition that clients evolve through different life stages, with varying wealth and wellness needs. It’s an intentional shift from transactional banking and toward lifetime partnerships, acknowledging that most people establish decades-long relationships with their primary banking institutions. “Most people are with their main banks for the rest of their lives, which is why we want our clients to be like lifetime work partners,” she says.
Wellness as an investment
Comprehensive client research revealed a fundamental shift in priorities among Asia’s affluent post-Covid: wellness is now integral to sustaining performance, building resilience, and safeguarding long-term prosperity. Competitor analysis further highlighted a gap—most financial institutions focus narrowly on wealth growth, and leave wellness largely unexplored.
“From a competitor perspective, most financial institutions mainly focus on wealth growth,” Fung notes. “Rarely do global banks like us look at the total holistic perspective. And from a consumer perspective, wellness is actually an investment too. It’s not something that’s just nice to have, or fancy anymore.”
The creative solution draws heavily on Asian wellness philosophies. The campaign incorporates long-form episodes of mindfulness, breathing techniques, Ayurveda, and meditation practices. Fung's clear brief to the agency was to root the concept in balance and avoid what she calls the “too woo woo” trap: “We made it very clear – let’s not make it too new age. After all, we are a trusted global bank. We need that balance.”
Released in the form of a three-episode, long-form video series—a first for the bank. Originally planned at five minutes per episode and later optimised for attention spans, it follows a “short to long to short” structure: brief clips capture initial attention, extended storytelling builds engagement, and targeted follow-ups drive meaningful audience actions.
AI-enhanced storytelling
The campaign is a technological first for the bank. Dentsu Singapore used AI content scaling tools to deliver personalised, full-funnel messaging in multiple short-form variations for different audience segments and behavioural patterns. Insights from the bank's customer data platform (CDP) helped determine which messages resonate with which audiences in real-time.
“Humans do the storytelling and narrative quite well. What we’re passing to AI is driving that scale, that automation. AI tells us the highlight points where consumer interest will pick up, but we then connect those dots and bring in human input because we understand the market nuances,” says Sumeet Parab, client president of media at Dentsu Singapore.
Creative decisions from tone to pacing remained human-led. Performance metrics reflect both short- and long-term goals and span across brand awareness, wealth management consideration, website visits, product inquiries, and new client acquisitions. Fung notes that shifts in mindset take time:
“From a more top-funnel shifting perspective, I’m a little bit more patient. This is really the first time we look at finance and wellness from a very new angle. I imagine it’s going to take a little longer for us to move that needle.”
Beyond single-campaign ROI, the CDP will enable ongoing personalisation, differentiating journeys for existing clients versus prospects.
Timing
The campaign’s timing is deliberate. Post-Covid health consciousness among Asia’s affluent is an opportunity to align financial and wellness messaging.
“Ten years ago, especially before Covid, health and wellness may not have been top of mind for a lot of people,” Fung explains. “Now, priorities have changed and this has presented new opportunities for us to look at how we can better serve our clients.”
Launching a category-first initiative in the midst of the massive economic uncertainty also required what Parab calls “strategic courage.” The bank’s choice to prioritise wellness over more conventional marketing investments is a show of conviction in a long-term strategy, according to Dentsu.
“I don’t get a lot of second chances,” Fung adds candidly. " But five years ago, would I be so bold as to do something so different and new? Maybe not,” Fung reflects. “But now with AI and data, I’m very confident that I can drive ROI, and I know this subject matter is the right thing to do.”
Technological capabilities that didn’t exist until recently allow the team to rely on data-driven insights rather than intuition—a crucial advantage when securing management buy-in.
Looking ahead, Standard Chartered plans to expand its long-form, lifestyle-focused content strategy beyond marketing into product development, creating offerings that address wellness alongside financial needs.
“We want to be beyond transactional,” Fung says. “This is why we look at people holistically. It’s not just about how much they have in the bank – it’s about how they’re evolving as human beings.”
WellnessNOW will run across Google Demand Gen, YouTube, Standard Chartered’s social channels, and the bank’s official website.
