Eye Spy: RAC Insurance
The CBWA Blog’s look at localwork that is notable for whatever reason – good, bad, brand new,long-running, campaigns or one-offs.
Insurance is a bugger of a category to advertise. There’s nothing tangible to show, it’s expensive and most people wish they didn’t need it. They’re also fearful that, if they do have to make a claim, insurance companies will make it as difficult as possible and look for any loophole to avoid paying out.
Presumably it’s this latter concern that the RAC aims to address with its latest campaign featuring glowing endorsements from satisfied customers, albeit anonymous ones.
In this press execution, a customer quote is presented in an elaborategilt frame, which is meant to imply that, like a great work of art, thecontent inside it is highly valued (I could suggest it also impliesthat, like a great work of art, it’s rare but that would be mean).
It’s another example of advertising that isn’t offensive or ‘bad’ assuch, just a bit lazy; like they’ve run out of ideas and fallen back onan age-old tactic used by just about every business at one time oranother (Visitors’ Book anyone?). Even agencies have been known to putquotes from clients in their credentials documents.
The RAC is a big, conservative organization and importantly the marketleader, so we shouldn’t expect nimble, challenger-type advertising fromit but surely there is something more compelling to say than “we havesatisfied customers”. Who doesn’t? Rival insurer Allianz used the sameapproach on telly last year.
At least it’s yellow. The RAC has successfully made the coloursynonymous with its brand so now we don’t need to read the message – assoon as we see yellow we think RAC. On one hand that’s good becauseit’s easy to maintain brand awareness but on the other, it means wedon’t feel any need to read the messages. No damage done in thisinstance because the message isn’t very interesting anyway, but inother instances it could be important tactically or strategically.
Perhaps when that time comes the execution will match the message. 3/5
Martin Trevaskis
9 Comments
i just feel like even if the quotes are from actual customers, by placing them in a billboard the communication still stinks like an ad, and is therefore about as believable as another other ad.
maybe RAC should issue a challenge to its happy customers – get your positive testimonial seen by as many people as possible to win a huge prize. let the customers do the work, plus its more believable and interesting because its coming straight from the horses mouth so to speak, and isnt being delivered in a typical advertising channel. someone could walk down a main street wearing a cardboard cut out declaring “I’m a happy RAC customer”, or plaster their house or whatever. I think it would make the ‘happy customer’ message much more believable. just a thought!
what a great idea. Use actual satisfied customers to create the campaign for you. Brilliant. you should get a job on the RAC account.
This is about as lazy as it gets
One day at the Brand…
‘Shit guys and gals this new RAC quote execution is shit boring. What can we do?’
“Have you put in the yellow background? That really makes it cheery and more engaging.”
“Done it. No good.”
“Hmmm. I know, let’s put a fancy frame around it. It will look better and hopefully divert people’s attention from the incredible blandness of the quote. No one will ever notice.”
“Brilliant. Job done. Beers at the melbourne anyone?”
I wonder if Martin’s critiques would carry more credibility and have a little more substance if they were written following sight of the creative brief. It’s easy to knock anyone’s work and pick holes in it on sight alone.
I know I know – the great unwashed out there don’t get to see the brief and they form opinions but c’mon, we’re the industry are we not? I applaud the idea but let’s try and carry it through with a bit more professionalism.
And no, I had nothing to do with this campaign and don’t work at Brand.
Unfortunately I found my last dealings with RAC very disappointing. When noting I was not entirely pleased with it taking 5 weeks to admit my vehicle into the panel-beaters to fix after an accident, the call centre rep begrudgingly advised that I should have expected this as it was ‘peak season’. Therefore this campaign lacks credibility for me, a long term customer and silver RAC member.
Interesting point David, but I wouldn’t let it worry you. Kim and Martin have always been primarily concerned with judging creative. We know, and they know, that there is more to the story, but that is not their focus. You need to read their comments in this light. It’s like creative awards. Should we be concerned that some of the work that wins creative awards is ineffective? I don’t think so. They’re being judged on how creative they are, not how effective they are. There are effectiveness awards for that. (Whether effectiveness awards should be prized more highly by our industry is another question.)
Ross, In my experience neither creative nor effectiveness awards are prized by our industry. Certainly there is little or no recognition for those who manage to win them. Maybe it’s just here in Perth.
Bring back Carolyn Hall – that’s the last time they did anything decent…