Divers show good life with HSBC plan

As part of the 'What if' campaign for HSBC Insurance and Investment, life-sized scuba divers and speedboats have been placed in the heart of the city's business district, atop Clear Channel bus shelters, which have been transformed to look like under- water worlds, complete with blue seas, corals and colourful fish. Developed by JWT and MindShare, the initiative also includes TV, press, branch visuals, ambient, below-the-line and in-store collaterals.

The creative aims to convince consumers of the importance of retirement planning, by demonstrating the kind of lifestyle they can enjoy after retirement.

Said HSBC head of marketing Wendy Lim. "The highly visible creatives coupled with the bus shelters being in high traffic locations generated much awareness for the campaign from the general public." According to JWT regional management director Aparna Guruprasad, the campaign targets affluent professionals in their mid to late 30s.

"The insight that we built off was that, at the very least, a person hopes to maintain the lifestyle he enjoys today when he retires," she said. "Rather than use the typical imagery of an older man on his yacht, we decided to focus on our mid-30s audience and the type of activities they enjoy today."

HSBC's LifeEnrich product is specifically designed to provide both lifetime protection and income upon retirement which, adds Lim, are areas all too often overlooked by Singaporeans.

"A recent Monetary Authority of Singapore survey shows that only 24 per cent of Singaporeans have planned for their retirement, while a CPF Board study revealed that most Singaporeans have difficulty meeting the minimum sum requirement upon retirement," said Lim. "These findings demonstrate that more efforts are needed to educate consumers."