One quirky long-running campaign that embeds itself in pop culture is an accomplishment. Two is a remarkable achievement. Budget Direct and 303 MullenLowe are well into their second. The absurd escapades of anti-ambassador, Captain Risky, was replaced by the Insurance Solved adventures of Sarge, Jacs, and Chief in 2018 and the long-term platform was rewarded recently at the 2024 Australian Effies, picking up a Gold for Long Term Effects and Gold for Brand Value.
The quick-thinking insurance detectives are saving the day once again in the latest instalment featuring a car made airborne by a bunch of birthday balloons.
The new Balloons campaign is live across Australia on TV, cinema, BVOD, online, social, OOH and radio, dishing up another tale of daily life going humorously wrong, before Sarge and crew come to the rescue. It also celebrates Budget Direct’s recent win of Money magazine’s Best-Value Car Insurer for 2025 and evolves the ongoing “story” from its original mysteries, and later adrenaline-charged dramas, to more light-hearted humour.
303 MullenLowe Sydney chief creative officer, Bart Pawlak, stated, “Based on Budget Direct’s consistent commercial performance, it’s fair to assume that most Australians are familiar with the brand and its value proposition. So it’s increasingly important to surprise and delight with the way we deliver the Insurance Solved message. There are numerous entertaining twists and turns to come in the campaign, and this latest spot showcasing the perils of overdoing it on the party balloons is no exception. This not only leaves an increasingly value conscious audience feeling reassured by Budget Direct, but also with a smile on their face.”
Budget Direct chief growth officer, Jonathan Kerr, stated, “Winning Money magazine’s Best-Value Car Insurer for a remarkable seventh year in a row, deserves an equally uplifting ad. We feel we have delivered on that quite beautifully in this delightful ad.”
Credits:
Client: Budget Direct
Chief Growth Officer, Growth Ops: Jonathan Kerr
Associate Director, Marketing, Media & Acquisition, Growth Ops: Andrea Peters
General Manager, Marketing and Communications, Growth Ops: Warren Marsh
Senior Marketing Manager, Marketing, Media & Acquisition, Growth Ops: Katie Lansdale
Creative Agency: 303 MullenLowe Sydney
Chief Creative Officer: Bart Pawlak
Creative Director: Adam Whitehead
Chief Executive Officer: Joanna Gray
Client Service Director: Ben Glasson
Chief Strategy Officer: Jody Elston
Head of Production: Skye Lanser
Executive Broadcast Producer: Rachel Devine
Production Company: Good Oil Films
Director: Hamish Rothwell
DOP: Crighton Bone
Executive Producer: Sam Long
Producer: Tracey-Lee Permall
Editor: Lucas Baynes
Post Production: Blockhead VFX
VFX Supervisor: Nigel Mortimer
Post Executive Producer: Charlotte Plowman
Original Music & Sound Post: Sonar Music
Composer: Matteo Zingales
Senior Sound Designers: Andy Stewart & Nat Joyce
Stills Photographer: Matt Baker @ LOUIS & CO
