POSB highlights a mother's greatest act of love in tearjerking campaign

POSB Bank has unveiled a new campaign to highlight the importance of financial wellness among consumers and advocate for action. The campaign reinforces findings from a recent DBS study, which revealed that Gen Zs and millennials aged 25 to 44 are falling behind their older counterparts in building their nest egg for their later years as they increasingly shoulder heavier liabilities.

In fact, the survey found that those aged 35 to 44 are the most stretched as they must balance the demands of raising children, supporting ageing parents, and advancing their careers. This often compels them to prioritise short-term financial needs over long-term retirement planning.

Central to the campaign is a tearjerking film, highlighting that the greatest acts of love aren't always the grandest, but in the small, everyday steps taken to secure the future with loved ones. The film begins with a funeral of an old woman named Lee Huay Lian. At Lee's funeral, a woman reads a letter she had written addressing her son Tan Teck Meng. The letter starts with Lee calling Tan a stupid and useless son who is always working, never taking care of his mother and never growing up. She shared about how she's been chasing Tan for money for over 20 years and how because of that, he couldn't go on holidays, spend or eat well. 

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Lee later revealed that she's been keeping the money aside for him and his family, adding that she has finally done enough for her stupid son who is growing older, with a daughter who is also growing up. Lee added that in all of Lee's stupidness, he did one thing right - loving his mother. 

Accompanying Lee's letter are flashbacks of Tan's wedding, Tan at work, Lee going to the bank, and sweet, tender moments the mother and son shared while Lee was still alive. The film ends with Lee crying uncontrollably at the funeral and Lee, while she was still alive, reminding Tan that he only has one life and that he has to treat himself right. 

The film was created in collaboration with The Secret Little Agency and directed by award-winning Thai director Thanonchai Sornsriwichai. 

“Through this film, we aim to broaden the concept of self-care to include prioritising our financial well-being. We have a responsibility not just to ourselves, but also to our loved ones, to plan our finances effectively and ensure a comfortable retirement. This is not a burden we want to place on those we care about. Neglecting our own financial wellness, even with the intention of caring for others, should not be seen as a selfless sacrifice. It is an important reminder that small, thoughtful steps can make a powerful impact, especially when it comes to managing money,” said Lim Bee Bee, head of marketing, DBS Consumer Banking Group.

“The unavoidable truth is that financial planning is the most powerful act of care that impacts not only ourselves but our loved ones too. We were often told this as kids, yet in the hustle and bustle of life, we’ve forgotten that the simple act of building good money habits goes a long way for our future,” said Nicholas Ye & Mavis Neo, co-chief creative officers, The Secret Little Agency.

They added: “We saw a need to shift our focus back to create a nationwide movement centred around good financial habits that will serve us not only today but for the rest of our lives.”

The campaign will feature social, digital, OOH, and social activations with KOLs, running till mid-2025.

This campaign follows the bank's "Does age matter?" campaign, unveiled last November. The campaign addresses the growing incidence of cancer among young Singaporeans and tackles the financial and social impacts linked to inadequate health coverage for cancer treatment. 

The campaign featured a social experiment where a man named Audi is asked questions and has to guess which of the people of varying age and genders lined up in front of him fits the answer. The questions were lightheaded, easy and fun at first. Audi was later stumped when the question provided was "Who has their plans disrupted by cancer?". A 29-year-old woman by the name of Lay Teng steps forward to reveal that she's a breast cancer survivor and how a critical illness plan had helped her with expenses during recovery. 

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