It is rare for a campaign idea to capture the hearts of a nation and last years. 303 MullenLowe and Budget Direct have achieved the improbable feat twice. Both are built around quirky characters that Australians fell in love with. The first Budget Direct hero, or rather anti-hero, was the daredevil, Captain Risky. He was so popular he even had his own website, The Temple of Risk. Captain Risky’s role was to be the person Budget Direct wouldn’t insure, the reason the insurer could keep its prices low.
Captain Risky lasted nearly four years until detectives, Sarge, Jacs and, more recently, the flour-legged side-kick, Chief, came along. They have been solving insurance since 2018 for hapless Australians who didn’t get it right.
As it did with the the Captain Risky series, 303 MullenLowe has cleverly evolved Insurance Solved subtly over the years, keeping the campaign fresh and expanding the benefits it can promote.
In the latest instalment a wayward supermarket trolley causes mayhem in a car park, and ultimately a car catastrophe. This time the “hapless Aussie” is AOK. She has Budget insurance. The commercial is the first in a set of new ads focussed on key benefits of Budget Direct’s insurance policies and cost savings.
It also introduces a new audio branding device by Resonance.
The new campaign is running across TV, BVOD, cinema, OOH, radio, online and more.
Jonathan Kerr, chief growth officer at Budget Direct, commented, “Market research confirmed that Australians love the cinematic exploits of Sarge and Jacs and have developed great affection for Chief, Sarge’s four-legged sidekick,” Kerr explained. “This support shows in the performance of Budget Direct, so it’s an approach we were eager to reprise and optimise even further. “We have really enjoyed
working with Resonance on our new audio signature. We wanted to capture the character and spirit of the thousands of people that deliver Budget Direct, Australia’s most award-winning insurance, in a very memorable way.”
303 managing director, Joanna Gray, added, “This is the first instalment in a series of typically colourful spots, that see Budget Direct double-down on a commercially successful approach. The Insurance Solved platform has been delivering consistent growth for Budget Direct for four years now, we’re proud of the longevity of the platform and look forward to continued success with the next part of this campaign.”
Credits:
Client: Budget Direct
Chief Growth Officer, Growth Ops: Jonathan Kerr
General Manager, Marketing and Communications, Growth Ops: Warren Marsh
Senior Marketing Manager, Marketing, Media & Acquisition, Growth Ops: Katie Lansdale
Associate Director, Marketing, Media & Acquisition, Growth Ops: Tom Johns
Agency: 303 MullenLowe
Executive Creative Director: Bart Pawlak
Creative Director & Head of Art: Adam Whitehead
Art Director: Zac Goldberg
Copywriter: Craig Merrett
Managing Director: Joanna Gray
Client Services Director: Jen Gledhill
Group Business Director: Ben Glasson
Head of Strategy: John Linton
Senior Broadcast Producer: Honae MacNiell
Production Companies Good Oil Films & Rattling Stick
Director: Daniel Kleinman
Director (2nd unit): Dave Wood
DOP: Danny Ruhlmann
DOP (2nd unit): Jason White
Executive Producers: Sam Long & Johnnie Frankel
Producer: Catherine Warner
Editor: Mark Burnett @The Editors
Post Production: Blockhead VFX
VFX Supervisor: Nigel Mortimer
VFX Producer: Charlotte Plowman
Music & Sound Company: Sonar Music
Original Composition: Matteo Zingales
Executive Producer: Sophie Haydon
Sound Designer: Timothy Bridge
Stills Photographer: Jamie Macfadyen, LOUIS & CO
Retouching: Limehouse
Sonic Branding: Resonance
Creative Directors & Founders: Ralph Van Djik & Ramesh Sathiah
Sonic Strategist: Dom Burnham
