Sweet Caroline

Southern Cross Health Insurance and TBWA\New Zealand launch the latest campaign from its ‘With You’ brand platform. Celebrating being part of a collective, the spot highlights the power of being surrounded by a team that truly cares.

The commercial tells the story of Caroline, the leader of a construction crew. Quickly, her connection with each of her colleagues becomes clear, whether she’s enjoying a tea break with them, motivating them, or playing cards with them, until one day she’s not there. As she undergoes treatment in a Southern Cross hospital, her absence is felt throughout her team. But they keep things moving while hatching a plan to rally around her upon her return.

Driving back up to the site, she hears them burst into a touching rendition of Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’, embracing her back into the crew, demonstrating: ‘when you’re with the right people, it shows.’

At the heart of the brief, the not-for-profit Friendly Society Southern Cross wanted to communicate the extraordinary value of being part of a team that truly cares.

Inspired by this notion of shared humanity, TBWA\NZ sought to compose a vignette of people doing right by one another when the going gets tough. At a cultural level, this resonates strongly with New Zealanders just as it does for Southern Cross.

TBWA\NZ opted for a personal story to powerfully communicate the larger human truth, crafting a realistic narrative and characters so viewers could see the parallels in their own lives.

Inspired by the construction site located outside TBWA\NZ’s offices, the main character is loosely based on a Māori woman with the natural aura of a leader who works there. To craft the final big gesture, TBWA\NZ drew on their experiences at sports stadia, knowing how a song like ‘Sweet Caroline’ unites a crowd. The tune also provided the team with the perfect name for their protagonist.