Right, then. Budget Direct's back with another instalment of their ‘Insurance Solved’ saga, and this time, it's all about the mysterious case of the vanishing quote-seeker.
The premise of the spot, ‘Man Cave’, is mildly amusing: a man vanishes into his man cave while searching for insurance quotes—a relatable predicament, to be sure. Ad Nut reckons all humans have been down the rabbit hole of comparison sites, haven’t they?
The work is … serviceable but doesn’t have the spark of the brand’s earlier iterations. Ad Nut is a tad nostalgic for the good ‘ol days of Captain’s Risky Caravan or Bubble Trouble. That was Budget Direct and creative arm 303 MullenLowe at its sharpest, wittiest, and most memorable era. This feels a tad formulaic. Like they've found a winning formula and are now milking it for all it's worth.
Which, fair enough. It's still more entertaining than 99% of insurance advertising.
Sarge, Jacs, and Chief are charming, albeit treading familiar ground. The message is predictable: quote Budget Direct first, save time, save money, and the $1.5 billion payout figure is a whole lot of reassured customers.
“It’s not easy to address the big three insurance proof points in one advert, while maintaining our entertaining and distinctive style," said Budget Direct’s chief growth officer, Jonathan Kerr. "I feel we just might have achieved it with Man Cave. It covers saving money, saving time and squarely addresses the insurance moment of truth, by confirming Budget Direct paid out over $1.5 billion on claims in the last 12 months,” Kerr added.
So, yeah, this 45-second film is not exactly reinventing the wheel and won't set the world on fire, but it'll likely do the job.
Man Cave is live this week across TV, cinema, BVOD, online, social, OOH and radio.
CREDITS
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
Head of Brand, Sponsorship & PR, Growth Ops – Katie Lansdale
303 MullenLowe Sydney
Chief Creative Officer – Bart Pawlak
Creative Director – Adam Whitehead
Chief Executive Officer – Joanna Gray
Client Service Project Lead – Jen Hird
Chief Strategy Officer – Jody Elston
Head of Production – Skye Lanser
Executive Broadcast Producer – Jacqueline Archer
Production Partners
Production Company – Good Oil
Director – Hamish Rothwell
Producer – Tracey-Lee Permall
Executive Producer – Sam Long
DOP – Crighton Bone
Edit House – ARC
Editor – Lucas Baynes
Edit Producer – Sally Quade
Post Production – Blockhead VFX
VFX Supervisor – Nigel Mortimer
Post Executive Producer – Charlotte Plowman
Original Music & Sound Post – Sonar Music
Social Media Campaign – Hello Social
Stills Photographer – Matt Baker, LOUIS & CO
 Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'. |
