Comparethemarket.com unveils latest TV ad and viral

by Ben Bold, Brand Republic 03-Jul-09, 10:55

LONDON - Price comparison website Comparethemarket.com is this weekend unveiling its latest television and viral ad starring billionaire meerkat Aleksandr Orlov.

Created by creative agency VCCP, the 20-second ad breaks on Sunday evening (July 5) and features the Russian meerkat addressing viewers from his mansion.

Through the medium of a Punch and Judy-style puppet show, including stick-wielding violence, he compares Comparethemeerkat.com with Comparethemarket.com -- the latter being the original name of the brand before the Russian oligarch character was introduced.

The spot will be aired on channels including ITV1, Channel 4, Sky 1, Five, ITV2 and ITV3.

Aleksandr explained: "Despite many fans of previous advert, peoples still making mistake.

"New ad will let peoples know about my meerkat business, not other website, Comparethemarket.com, which is for humans searching for cheap deals on their car insurance."

The previous Comparethemeerkat ad went on air in April saw Aleksandr joined by Comparethemeerkat's fictional head of IT -- a geeky glasses-wearing meerkat called Sergei.

According to the company, the introduction of the meerkat character has boosted quote activity on the site by 80%.

The popularity of the ads and their resonance with the British public has even led to an increased interest in the animals as pets.

A report on BBC Look North featured a meerkat breeder claiming that he had been visited by a woman who wanted advice on how to care for the animals after she bought two for £500 each.

The report went on to explain that meerkats are not suitable as indoor pets.

Aleksandr's popularity also extends to online channels -- he has his own Facebook page with 479,000 fans and 16,000 Twitter followers.

Comparethemarket.com was launched in 2006 as a motor insurance price comparison site. It now compares financial services such as current and savings accounts, credit cards and loans.

Comments

Blair Jarvis - 03/07/2009

That's interesting. You are now referring to the brand as comparethemeerkat.com. a powerful campaign. lets hope the real brand doesn't get forgotten.

Amelia Torode - 03/07/2009

the TV ad is being seeded online and can be viewed at www.comparethemeerkat.com from Friday afternoon. It's a good one...

Neil Potter - 03/07/2009

One of my favourite campaigns of all time - Couldn't praise VCCP enough for their work on this. The buzz generated by such a simple idea is living proof that viral marketing through social media techniques is the way of the future. But one question Amelia - how did you convince a brand with quite a bland business model to buy-in to a marketing campaign based on a fictional Russian meerkat character?! I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the original pitch! What was the thought process behind it?

Gellan Watt - 05/07/2009

There's no arguing that the viral element has definitely worked. Everyone talks about it, does the impressions and knows the jingle. And while it's very tempting to say 'but where is the product' I imagine the client is please as punch because it's engaged with the market \(meerkat) and cut through the noise in way that an insurance provider \(portal or direct) has failed to do previously. And that was probably the brief. If it wasn't the brief, perhaps in future in should be. If a campaign doesn't cut through, engage and drive awareness, it's failed in the first rule of advertising. Product benefits and price cuts don't matter if no-one reads your ad. Good work VCCP.

Gellan Watt - 05/07/2009

Can I add to this... Brand Republic..... what on earth has happened to the creative area of this site? Why isn't it working? There's been nothing new added for months and I am feeling less engaged by you because of it!