Insurance company AXA has unveiled its first-ever African brand campaign to establish its role and ambition on the continent. Publicis Conseil created the campaign–part of AXA’s global platform “Why should the future be a risk?”–to deeply connect with Africa’s culture of care heritage.
The campaign positions the company as true partner for Africans, that understands and values the power of the community by protecting those who care for others–with an emotional and universal message: “Keep caring for each other. It’s the most beautiful form of protection.”
The initiative tells a story of protection and transmission through a modern African tale, combining emotion, visual poetry and Africa’s identity. In an era increasingly shaped by AI, AXA chose the value of human craft to bring its vision to life. This is why the brand partnered with stop-motion director Paulo Garcia, whose empathetic and deeply human approach reflects the very values at the heart of the campaign. The animation was produced by Jungler, in partnership with Zombie Studio.
This centerpiece film introduces us to a fisherman who cares for his ailing mother. He’s devoted and dedicated to her while trying to make a living–yet circumstances are difficult. Still, he perseveres and we see the value of people caring for one another throughout a community. The film then transitions to live action–directed by Vianney Lebasque–as we see the man and his mom together, with the matriarch in better health and back on her feet.
The piece was genuinely handcrafted with the same care and concern exhibited by its protagonists, embracing a tactile stop-motion approach through fabrics, fibers, real materials, subtle imperfections, and a powerful narrative with an almost physical emotion that you can feel before you understand it. Through the hero’s journey, the film turns “care” into a sensitive and universal experience, where magic becomes a metaphor for support, solidarity, and caring for each other.
The live-action portion was shot on location, at the heart of the communities it represents. The campaign celebrates and embodies everyday African heroes and the energy, and dynamism of the continent’s cities. It features an original composition created specifically for the film, “Sékou’s story” by Ronan Maillard, reinforcing the emotional, warm and protecting dimension of the message, and rooting in Africa’s cultural identity.
