Million-a-Month is FNB's innovative answer to the challenge of providing an initial-capital-preserving account for smaller investors. The 32-day-notice account requires a minimum opening balance of just R100 (there is no maximum), yet it offers excellent "potential returns" (customers earn no interest but stand a chance to win large sums of money and never lose their initial capital) for the investor - characteristics which FNB correctly believed would be warmly welcomed by the SA market.
Clients opening Million-a-Month accounts stand a chance of winning R1 million - every month - in a series of monthly draws. For every additional R100 invested, customers qualify for an additional entry into the draw. Up for grabs are a total of 113 prizes, collectively valued at R1.5 million.
According to FCB Johannesburg's Louise Johnston, the agency's brief was to achieve the highest possible number of product acquisitions in the shortest possible time, by creating extraordinary levels of awareness.
"The target audience for the communication is extremely broad," Johnston says, "basically anyone with a R100 to invest and in possession of a valid SA ID document.
"The FCB Johannesburg creative team of Brett Morris (Creative Director), Kevin Yong (Art Director) and Greg Cohen (Copywriter) came up with the concept of 'Everything to Win, Nothing to lose' and translated this into a series of commercials in various media espousing the idea that 'No matter how you say it, it sounds great'.
Johnston explains: "For the TV execution, people from a variety of professions - ranging from mime artists to puppeteers - audition for the part of saying or miming 'Win a million rand a month without any risk'. No matter how they say/mime the phrase, it sounds great.
"The radio version embroiders on the same theme, and features a variety of voices speaking or singing the line 'Win a million' line. In the three print executions, the message is repeated in Zulu, in morse code and in musical notation, again demonstrating that 'No matter how you say it, it sounds great'."
The campaign launched on January 17 with a 40-second TV commercial, two 45-second radio commercials and three initial press ads. These were backed by 4 500 000 printed flyers, eight selected outdoor hoardings and in-branch posters countrywide. From March 15, it will evolve into a 3-minute show which will announce the winner of the R1 million prize as well as the two R100 000 prizes. These and all the other winners will be announced in the press.
"The response has been staggering," a delighted Johnston reports. Both initial client take up as well as average balances were higher than expected."
