Don’t leave chaos in your wake

By Grant Fietze, issued by Capital Legacy

16 Apr 2024

Imagine trying to create a marketing campaign to get people to do their wills. There is probably nothing less exciting than talking about death planning, but nothing more important. In a country with over 70% of people with no wills in place, this is exactly the challenge we had – get more people to do their wills. Why? Because if you die without a will, it’s a mess.

When someone passes away, there’s a whole lot of complicated administration and costs and unplanned-for fees that ensue. Ask anyone who has had to deal with a death in the family. It’s not easy. It’s made even worse when there’s no will in place and no planning for administration and legal costs. Couple this with the fact that you’re still grieving the loss, it’s a recipe for drama and chaos. So, when Capital Legacy launched just over 12 years ago, we had a simple dream to help make the loss of a loved one easier.

Our first mandate was to make getting your will drafted easier. Our second was to ensure that clients didn’t face hefty fees and costs that eroded inheritances.

Twelve years later we’re seeing this dream come true. We’ve helped South Africans draft more than 800,000 wills and have saved our clients nearly half a billion Rand in legal fees.

Part of our success is that we always approach things differently. Our products and solutions are unique… and so is our advertising.

One of our first campaigns ever, in 2019, was about unusual ways people die. “Did you know that every year over 150 die from falling coconuts? Life can be unexpected. Get your will sorted today.” We adopted a unique way of talking about death and people sat up and took notice. We had started a conversation that had not been started before.

Last year, we year launched two TV ads that had the same tongue-in-cheek tone that got people talking – which, obviously, is exactly what we want. Both themed “Where there’s no will, there’s drama”, instantly resonated with audiences and we were proud to receive several awards and industry recognition.

Our first TV ad plays out a family feud scene, backwards, in slow motion – obviously.
Click to view: Family Feud TV ad #1

Our second TV ad shows a well-to-do family running around grandpa’s house placing stickers over all the heirlooms they want to book for themselves – with grampa watching this, nogal. Click to view: Family Feud TV ad #2

Fictional dramas that have played out in real life far too many times before. You wouldn’t believe half the stories we could tell you about feuding families and drama when there’s no will in place.

So this year, we’re continuing the conversation about the potential drama and chaos – but making it a little more real for specific audiences.

Most people now know the statistic that 70% of South Africans don’t have a will, but don’t actually realise how scary the numbers are: 8.7 million homeowners, 5 million single moms, 5.4 million car owners and even 1.4 million pet owners… all without a will! This means potentially having no say in who looks after or raises your child, what happens with your home or car, and not knowing whether your pets will be cared for, or – worst-case scenario – may have to be put down.

So, we’re calling it out. Homeowners. Single moms. Car owners. Even pet owners. If you don’t have a will - don’t leave chaos and drama in your wake.

We’ve come a long way as a company, but we’ve got a long way to go as a country! We still have the same mission we had when we started, and we’re brave enough to keep starting tough conversations. We’ll keep doing it until we can change these terrible statistics. Every client we help with their will is one more family that we’ve helped save from potential mess and uncertainty.