Turning everyday spending into joy and value.

Absa Rewards was built on a simple belief: every person has a story, and every story deserves joy.

Absa Go Beyond: Best in Craft and Craft Mention, South Africa’s Craft Awards, Nov 2025

Judge’s comment

“In film the viewer needs to be able to relate either to the characters in the story or the subject matter in order for a point to be driven home. Emotions are powerful even more so when they are universally relatable and shared. Stitching four different stories together seamlessly is no small feat. The common thread is one’s phone and with this being the product that is marketed (Absa Rewards Travel App) there is 5 seconds of uninterrupted product placement that doesn’t feel forced. Each adventure unfolds with great use of universally shared human experiences, i.e. a smile, a sigh of relief, laughter, dancing, warm embrace, celebration…”

Best in Craft and Craft Mention · South Africa’s Craft Awards, Nov 2025

Background

Unlike many loyalty programmes that focus on points accumulation or delayed rewards, Absa Rewards delivers real cash back that customers can use immediately, enriching everyday life.

The programme was designed with an emotionally driven approach, rather than a purely functional one, because loyalty succeeds when it resonates with the way people live.

Insight

South Africans live busy and full lives, made up of small but meaningful daily moments, from buying groceries and filling up fuel to treating themselves and planning travel. Many loyalty programmes ignore these moments, focusing instead on infrequent large rewards.

What we did

Go Beyond brings Absa Rewards Travel to life through the stories of Tenji, Mkhulu, Craig and Liesl, whose everyday swipes take them further than they imagined.

“Every reward becomes part of a larger story, one defined by choice, value and joy.”

Their stories

Craig
30-second film
Liesl
30-second film
Mkhulu
Key visual

+30%Year-on-year growth in membership
+9%Year-on-year topline income for the bank
#1Share of Voice in loyalty, with 92% net sentiment from 58,000 mentions

Absa Rewards programme results over the past 12 months.

More work

View all work →