By Darren Gilbert
And instead of being disgusted, you’re pleased. You smile even. Because what the hell, you’re getting a little help.
Welcome to King Price’s latest TVC. Conceptualised by Johannesburg-based ad agency,
Halo, it’s not your average insurance commercial. Of course,
King Price isn’t your average insurance company either. They offer insurance premiums that decrease monthly. And instead of humdrum insurance ads, they need adverts that match their personality. What better way to do that than to present a plate-licking giraffe?
Bizarre is an apt way to describe the idea at first glance. Did they really use a giraffe in an insurance ad? Yes, they did. It could have been stranger, though, if Halo’s MD, Dean Oelschig had got his own way. “It’s certainly not as off the wall as we were trying to push it,” he admits. “We actually wanted a llama lick. However, we soon realised getting a llama in South Africa to do what we wanted it to do was going to be a challenge.” A giraffe was the next best option with its peculiar, long, black tongue. And besides, it gets the point across well.
Halo’s creative director, Greg Harrison, explains: “The brief we were given was to create an advert that celebrates a small win, but in an interesting way.” A giraffe licking your place clean - essentially giving you a little help when you need it but least expect it – embodies that. It’s a win regardless of how you look at it. “This is about showing you that there is an insurance company that can give you a really nice feeling at the end of the month,” says Oelschig. And it’s not meant to be big.
Your world isn’t going to change. There are no loud trumpets playing and you won’t break out in a chorus of disorderly French sonnets. But it certainly gives you a warm feeling of satisfaction. “In the world of insurance, it’s hard to understand what value you are getting for the price you pay,” explains Harrison. “And this commercial hyperbolises that feeling of getting that SMS from King Price and actually seeing the premium going down.”
Nice, isn’t it?
Click here to view the advert.
For more information on Halo, visit www.brandhalo.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.