BY BECCA MORTIMER
Comparethemarket.com advert
Becca Mortimer explores the weird and wonderful animals of insurance: geckos, ducks, bulldogs and meerkats. Why are these fun characters paired with such a dull industry and how have they left a lasting paw print in wider pop culture?
Insurance policies: tedious, complicated and boring It’s
just another tick in the box you have to complete for a supposed peace of mind.
Time seems to drain away as you scroll through the endless options: fees,
premiums and compensations – all big words no one really understands. In the
end you sign your life away to a company which apparently has the best
‘financial protection’ (whatever that means).
For a long time, the marketing was similarly dull. Corporate
logos and droning voiceovers, with an undertone of fearmongering. But then this
bland, and let’s be honest, somewhat intimidating subject transformed into a
haven of laughs, catchy jingles and most bizarr
ely... a breeding ground for
talking animals.
Advertisers at the Martin Agency recognised the negative relationship consumers had developed with insurance and saw a gecko-shaped gap in the market. American insurance company, GEICO, first introduced their cockney-speaking gecko mascot over 20 years ago.
Advertisers at the Martin Agency recognised the negative relationship consumers had developed with insurance and saw a gecko-shaped gap in the market. American insurance company, GEICO, first introduced their cockney-speaking gecko mascot over 20 years ago.
The green reptile, despite his slim stature, had a huge
impact, raising the business’s ranking to second in the US industry.
With GEICO’S wild success, another American insurance company, Aflac, felt added pressure to come up with an innovative campaign to win over the reptilian-loving public. Many people, including Aflac employees, struggled to remember the generic name. Repeating it again and again in the office was the only way to get it to stick in their heads. “It’s Aflac – Aflac – Aflac – Aflac – Aflac”. Someone said it sounded like a duck, and long story short, a duck mascot has been quacking the company’s name ever since.
However, the duck idea was not accepted with open wings straight away. When agency Kaplan Thaler was initially pitching the duck idea, the CEO of Aflac said: “The response was always the same: a silent stare.” But creatives knew that Aflac’s biggest issue was the easily forgettable name – and a duck seemed the obvious solution. After a lot of persuading and many studies on the duck’s memorability, they managed to convince the company management to embrace it. It proved to be worth the risk, with Aflac’s name recognition up to 67 per cent after just two years of running commercials featuring the duck.
With GEICO’S wild success, another American insurance company, Aflac, felt added pressure to come up with an innovative campaign to win over the reptilian-loving public. Many people, including Aflac employees, struggled to remember the generic name. Repeating it again and again in the office was the only way to get it to stick in their heads. “It’s Aflac – Aflac – Aflac – Aflac – Aflac”. Someone said it sounded like a duck, and long story short, a duck mascot has been quacking the company’s name ever since.
However, the duck idea was not accepted with open wings straight away. When agency Kaplan Thaler was initially pitching the duck idea, the CEO of Aflac said: “The response was always the same: a silent stare.” But creatives knew that Aflac’s biggest issue was the easily forgettable name – and a duck seemed the obvious solution. After a lot of persuading and many studies on the duck’s memorability, they managed to convince the company management to embrace it. It proved to be worth the risk, with Aflac’s name recognition up to 67 per cent after just two years of running commercials featuring the duck.
The duck quickly became a beloved household character, and
requests came flooding in for a cuddly toy version of thebird. Insurance had
never seemed even remotely interesting to children, but Aflac had quacked the
code. Just like insurance ads, children are pushy, repetitive and annoying;
they became a constant reminder of the brand as parents across the States were
being begged for the “Aflac duck plush”.
The insurance company decided early on that all proceeds
from the branded stuffed animals would be donated to Aflac Cancer Centre.
Within a few months, $75k had been given to the charity. My Special Aflac Duck
™ is a special robot version, which is given to children with cancer and blood
disorders, free of charge. It even includes an interactive mobile app with
calming visuals and sounds.
These charitable intentions created a positive reputation
and an emotional connection with its consumers. The President of Aflac
commented: “Our purpose is deeply rooted in being there for our policyholders.
My Special Aflac Duck stands as a tangible symbol of that dedication.”
Across the pond in the UK, Churchill Insurance decided they
wanted to join the animal mascot bandwagon. They adopted a bulldog, a
traditional symbol of British identity. It developed into a nodding dog called
Churchie, and within a year of his ‘birth’ they began selling models of him.
Voiced by famous Yorkshire comedian, Bob Mortimer, the dog’s slogan “Oh yes”
became synonymous with the brand.
Churchill recently underwent a rebrand, by the agency Engine
Creative. Creative Director Paul Jordan commented: “Brand love can slip into
overfamiliarity if you’re not careful.” They decided to remove the
anthropomorphic aspect of their mascot, and replaced the original with a CGI
equivalent, in the hopes that they could reach a younger, contemporary
audience. Despite the new campaign urging busy consumers to “Church… Chill”,
people were certainly not chill about this change. Many did not approve of the
modernisation of the classic branding.
The insurance company received further backlash when animal
rights group PETA claimed that Churchie was boosting the popularity of
flat-faced breeds. British bulldogs are more perceptible to health issues,
including breathing problems and ulcers in their skin folds. This is an example
of an unintended controversy. Businesses should think carefully about what
they’re representing before producing any form of advertising, especially
longterm brand mascots.
Another British insurance company with mascots is Compare
the Market, who introduced their iconic meerkats in 2009. The idea was derived
from the similarity in the words “Market” and “Meerkat”. Somebody presumably
had to present this to the client with a straight face at some point, praying
that they wouldn’t get fired for being completely ridiculous.
Their main mascot, Aleksandr Orlov, has become something of
a national ad break celebrity. His aristocratic attire and Russian accent are
now part of the tapestry of British pop culture. Orlov’s catchphrase “Simples”
became so widespread it was added to the Oxford Dictionary, and there is now a
whole family of meerkats.
Compare the Market is known for the wide range of rewards
and extras included in its service, such as Meerkat Meals and Meerkat Movies
offers. Much alike Aflac, it also also offers toy versions of its mascots. They
have become collectables, with some fans investing in the insurance purely to
get the dolls. The most ‘desirable’, special edition meerkats are now going for
over £100 on eBay.
This is a prime example of silly excellence in advertising.
What started as a very ‘simples’ concept had space to grow and develop over
time, becoming a long-lasting brand identity. We can learn from Compare the
Market’s bold and creative move that risky ideas sometimes pay off bigtime.
To conclude, the silliness of talking animal insurance
mascots has taught us valuable lessons for creating memorable, long-term
advertising campaigns. Stripping it back to the plain and obvious – like saying
the company name again and again until something forms. A basic concept can
blossom into something truly wonderful, and from there everything else falls
into place.
That’s not to say it doesn’t take time to develop; becoming
a national sensation does not happen overnight. You can ask Mr Aflac Duck
himself. It took at least a couple of months for our feathered friend to
establish himself in the audience’s hearts and minds.
What’s more, it is not easy to be an animal mascot in
today’s society. Being at the forefront of a serious business comes with a lot
of responsibility. Companies must be cautious to avoid scandals and being
cancelled.
Insurance companies deliberately target children and younger
audiences with their anthropomorphic counterparts. Their fun and playful
characters stick in kids’ brains. When paired with benefits of free toys, it
becomes the children who pester and remind the adult consumers to look into
these services.
Oh yes! Maybe it does seem ridiculous at first
but there is method behind the madness of these strange creatures of insurance
advertising, and it’s all thanks to a lime green gecko from East London.