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Santam “Sir Sneaky” 2012

Santam “Sir Sneaky” (2012) is a Santam commercial directed by Dean Blumberg for King James, produced by Bouffant. It won one award: Cannes Lions 2012 Film Bronze.

Sir Ben Kingsley explains how easy it is to miss details, while the bartender's uniform subtly changes multiple times behind him, highlighting the importance of thorough insurance.

Video: King James on YouTube

Frames

  1. Sir Ben Kingsley, a bald man in a black suit, stands in a luxurious bar, talking to the camera while a bartender works behind him.© Santam0:00
  2. Santam “Sir Sneaky”, shot 1© Santam0:06
  3. Santam “Sir Sneaky”, shot 1© Santam0:13
  4. Santam “Sir Sneaky”, shot 1© Santam0:20
  5. Santam “Sir Sneaky”, shot 1© Santam0:27
  6. Santam “Sir Sneaky”, shot 1© Santam0:34
  7. Santam “Sir Sneaky”, shot 1© Santam0:41
  8. The Santam logo, a blue wordmark with a yellow umbrella icon, appears on a white background with contact information and a tagline.© Santam0:56

Stills © Santam. Made by King James, Bouffant and Dean Blumberg.

Every shot, full-quality frames and clips, and search across every commercial. Free account.

The idea

Ben Kingsley highlights overlooked details with a changing bartender's uniform.

Tagline: “Insurance good and proper”

celebrity endorsementhidden changesdirect address to cameravisual gagsubtle misdirection

The cut

Length
60 s
Shots
3
One take
55 s in a single shot

What creatives use Santam “Sir Sneaky” for

  1. 01Reference frames for your treatment

    Pitching something with the feel of Santam “Sir Sneaky”? A screenshot from a video player won't hold up in a deck.

    Download any frame of this spot at full quality, with its credits, or search every spot for the same look.

    Sir Ben Kingsley, a bald man in a black suit, stands in a luxurious bar, talking to the camera while a bartender works behind him.© SantamSantam “Sir Sneaky”, 0:06© SantamSantam “Sir Sneaky”, 0:13© SantamSantam “Sir Sneaky”, 0:20© Santam
    Frames from Santam “Sir Sneaky”

  2. 02How a one-take commercial is built

    55 s in a single shot: you need to see how the camera and the action are staged, beat by beat.

    Open the spot and scrub the take moment by moment, with what happens in each beat.

    Sir Ben Kingsley, a bald man in a black suit, stands in a luxurious bar, talking to the camera while a bartender works behind him.© SantamSantam “Sir Sneaky”, 0:06© SantamSantam “Sir Sneaky”, 0:13© SantamSantam “Sir Sneaky”, 0:20© SantamSantam “Sir Sneaky”, 0:27© SantamSantam “Sir Sneaky”, 0:34© Santam
    Length: 60 s · Shots: 3 · One take: 55 s in a single shot

  3. 03Ad ideas: every spot built on a celebrity endorsement

    Before you present an idea, you need to know who has done it, and how.

    Santam “Sir Sneaky” is built on a celebrity endorsement. Search the library by idea to see every spot that uses it.

    Novartis “Relax Your Tight End”© NovartisUber Eats “A Century of Cravings”© Uber EatsUber Eats + Special US “Football is for Food”© Uber Eats + Special USCadbury Celebrations “My SRK Ad”© Cadbury Celebrations
    Novartis · Uber Eats · Uber Eats + Special US · Cadbury Celebrations

More commercials by Dean Blumberg

  • Shell "You can count on us" (2026) commercial still© ShellShell “You can count on us” 2026Dir. Dean Blumberg
  • Suzuki "Move Between Worlds" (2026) commercial still© SuzukiSuzuki “Move Between Worlds” 2026Dir. Dean Blumberg
  • Nedbank "Private Wealth" (2026) commercial still© NedbankNedbank “Private Wealth” 2026Dir. Dean Blumberg
  • Checkers "Not Tom Cruise" (2024) commercial still© CheckersCheckers “Not Tom Cruise” 2024Dir. Dean Blumberg · 99c
  • Coronation "Fund Managers" (2022) commercial still© CoronationCoronation “Fund Managers” 2022Dir. Dean Blumberg · Ogilvy
  • Toyota South Africa "All New Corolla #HasItAll" (2020) commercial still© Toyota South AfricaToyota South Africa “All New Corolla #HasItAll” 2020Dir. Dean Blumberg · FCB

More from King James

  • Allan Gray "Beautiful" (2008) commercial still© Allan GrayAllan Gray “Beautiful” 2008Dir. Keith Rose · King JamesEpica Gold 2008
  • Sanlam "One Rand Family" (2016) commercial still© SanlamSanlam “One Rand Family” 2016Dir. Rob Smith · King JamesThe One Show Bronze 2016
  • Careers24 "Bus" (2025) commercial still© Careers24Careers24 “Bus” 2025Dir. Terence Neale · King James
  • Windhoek Lager "Pretzel" (2025) commercial still© Windhoek LagerWindhoek Lager “Pretzel” 2025Dir. Greg Gray · King James
  • 5FM "Live Loud" (2025) commercial still© 5FM5FM “Live Loud” 2025Dir. Terence Neale · King James
  • Tyme Bank "Smart Shopper" (2025) commercial still© Tyme BankTyme Bank “Smart Shopper” 2025Dir. Justice Mukheli · King James

Award-winning finance & insurance commercials

  • Shield Insurance "After Shit Happened Service EP.1-5" (2026) commercial still© Shield InsuranceShield Insurance “After Shit Happened Service EP.1-5” 2026VML (VML Thailand / VML Bangkok)London International Awards Grand Prix 2026
  • Krungsri First Choice "What the Fast" (2024) commercial still© Krungsri First ChoiceKrungsri First Choice “What the Fast” 2024Dir. Wuthisak Anarnkaporn · Leo BurnettAdFest Grand Prix 2025
  • NRMA Insurance "Help is who we are" (2022) commercial still© NRMA InsuranceNRMA Insurance “Help is who we are” 2022Dir. Gary Freedman · The MonkeysEffie Awards Grand Prix 2022
  • John Lewis Financial Services "Tiny Dancer" (2015) commercial still© John Lewis Financial ServicesJohn Lewis Financial Services “Tiny Dancer” 2015Dir. Dougal Wilson · adam&eve\TBWALondon International Awards Grand Prix 2016
  • GEICO "Unskippable: Family" (2015) commercial still© GEICOGEICO “Unskippable: Family” 2015Dir. Terri Timely · The Martin AgencyCannes Lions Grand Prix 2015
  • Cash App "Timothée Chalamet for Cash App" (2026) commercial still© Cash AppCash App “Timothée Chalamet for Cash App” 2026Dir. Aidan ZamiriWebby Awards Winner 2026

Questions

Who directed the Santam “Sir Sneaky” commercial?

Dean Blumberg directed it, produced by Bouffant, for the agency King James.

Which agency made Santam “Sir Sneaky”?

King James created it for Santam (2012).

What awards did Santam “Sir Sneaky” win?

1 awards, including Cannes Lions 2012 Film Bronze.

What is the tagline of Santam “Sir Sneaky”?

“Insurance good and proper”

Sources for the credits and awards

The WorkThe Workweb.archive.org