#Orchids and Onions: Walk in these slippers

The severity of the coronavirus pandemic and the devastation it has caused to the economy, as well as the lives of millions of South Africans, has perhaps made us lose sight of the daily sorrows and tragedies – as well as the stories of hope – that surround us.

And those of us who have had a chance to fail find ourselves so overwhelmed by the demands out there that it’s hard to focus on where to give our best.

So, the TV ad I saw this week was for the Reach for a Dream Foundation’s Slide Week campaign, Sunday, August 16, 2010.

For those who don’t know, the foundation “gives magical dreams” to children between the ages of three and 18 fighting life-threatening illnesses.

Those children may or may not survive – that is the harsh reality. And so, if your time on earth is short, why not try that little bit of fun and magic?

On the foundation’s website, it says it touched 32,000 lives in 2018 alone, and was responsible for making “dreams come true” for just under 20,000.

The TV ad promotes Slip Week, where you can buy incredibly cute or weird slips and support a worthy cause. Or you can make a donation.

Wimpy is here to pull the campaign together by promising a free coffee to anyone who donates R30 or more.

If the ad doesn’t touch you, you have a heart of stone and will make you offer your own silent thanksgiving for your small blessings.

We see many children who are fighting serious diseases. They seem completely normal and that makes it all the more poignant when you realize the struggles beneath the surface.

All, regardless of their circumstances, have the same intelligence and hope that all humans have before they reach a certain age and fall into cynicism.

But the punch line – “Let’s make sure dreams can’t be locked away” – is great because it speaks to our current situation and the belief that the human spirit can always rise above adversity.

Orchid for Rich for Dream Foundation and another for Wimpy lending its brand creative muscle to fitness.

Back to the negative side of this job.

As a company, you are dragged kicking and screaming to do the right thing when you fight tooth and nail to meet your financial covenants and are ultimately forced to take regulatory action or court action. , then under no circumstances try to portray yourself as a good person in your marketing communications.

That’s what the insurer did this week, saying it had paid more than R500 million in business interruption claims to customers affected by the Covid-19 lockdown.

The company, along with several insurers, challenged the payment and tried to argue that while the outbreak itself was covered, the damage caused by the lockdown (a direct result of the virus) was not.

A court case against Santam is pending from one of the policyholders and the financial authorities have got the company – and other insurers – to agree to pay. Regardless of the court results, this should not be returned.

However, announcing the grand gesture, Santam said he responded “quickly”.

What they say is hogwash – your policyholders who couldn’t wait and whose businesses went under because of you fighting the claims will testify.

Moral of the story: Would you trust an insurer who not only struggles with paying, but is so oblivious to national sentiment that it tries to portray itself as a fast-paced actor?

The claims process is one issue, but whoever wrote, whoever authorized, this insulting, brand damaging statement needs to have a whole onion field planted to add to my reminder to your customers not to abuse this…