Secrets, a new short-form movie, was launched at a glittering premiere at NuMetro’s Hyde Park cinema today, where it was revealed that Nedbank is behind the film, trailers for which have been prominent on multiple channels for the first two weeks of July.

Being a responsible corporate citizen

“We’re excited about this being a first for the financial services industry, and with the topic being that of money, which is viewed as taboo. We wanted to keep Nedbank’s involvement secret until the launch to provide maximum impact—and to connect with the movie’s theme,” says Khensani Nobanda, Group Executive Marketing & Corporate Affairs at Nedbank.

Khensani further added that given the extent of the problem, Nedbank felt it was imperative to initiate a national conversation about the secret mainsprings of our money behaviour as a responsible corporate citizen.

The stars of the movie

The movie starred Brett Williams, Hlubi Mboya and Lindiwe Dim, Faniswa Yisa, Tevin Musara, Rolanda Marias, and shot by Romance Films under the creative direction of Joe Public United.

Secrets tells the stories of three South Africans. The stories chronicle the devastating impact on them and those around them caused by their secret, unquestioned money habits.

A partnership with Dr Tshepiso Matentjie

Nedbank has partnered with psychologist, Dr Tshepiso Matentjie, to create a framework for this journey based on the concept of emotional wealth.

“Understanding that our supposedly rational minds are actually influenced by largely unacknowledged emotional triggers is the starting point of the journey—something that the film communicates so poignantly,” Dr Matentjie says. “We also want to introduce the concept of emotional wealth, the mindset that supports the attainment of a positive relationship with money within the context of our own personal goals.”

Together with Nedbank executives, she has adapted eight money archetypes to the South African context to help facilitate this process. Clients will then be helped to use this knowledge to take positive action; uncover money secrets and adjust behaviours as necessary.

Financial experts who do good

Nobanda says that this campaign is a natural outcome of Nedbank’s positioning as Financial experts who do good. The realisation that South Africans need to manage their money well is also prompting the bank to rethink the way it offers its products and services.

Nedbank is adopting a more holistic approach aimed at supporting customers’ journey towards financial freedom, rather than simply offering point solutions and products.

“Secrets is hopefully the first step on a journey towards deeper knowledge about why we make the money decisions we do, and ultimately to make better ones,” Nobanda concludes.