Automotive repair advertising gets an uplift from creative agency, Dagger. Rather than the usual pragmatic approach, touting the particulars of price, reliability and standards, Living with Damage, for US auto repair company, Maaco, entertains with a metaphor in which car damage becomes an annoying roommate. The humorous hero spot, Roommates, underlines the daily frustration of damage, reframing collision repair not as a response to an accident, but as a way to eliminate an ongoing nuisance.

A second 30-second spot, Date, continues the metaphor and triggering emotions. The campaign’s main character returns to his apartment with a date. The annoying roommate ruins the evening.

The US campaign will run across TVC, CTV, YouTube, Social, Digital, Email, OOH, and Direct Mail.

“We wanted to remind people how annoying it is to live with damage to your car, and how it drags you down a little bit every day. Equating that to having an annoying roommate felt like something that was widely relatable and it gave us a way to break through with humour,” stated Al Patton, chief creative officer, Dagger. 

“Every day, drivers are on the road with damaged vehicles, often waiting weeks, if not months, before deciding to get them repaired,” added Amanda Bishop, director of media strategy and investments at Maaco. “Living with Damage highlights just how inconvenient that can be, while showing how easy Maaco makes it to get back to normal.”