AXA lightens up insurance pitch

HONG KONG: AXA has broken the mould on insurance advertising with two wacky television commercials that feature a donkey, a sleepwalker and a man playing like a child. In a departure from the cautionary tales of most insurance advertising, AXA is setting out to encourage people to enjoy life and not worry about the future. The implication being that AXA is there to help look after their future. AXA's move to lighten up the insurance advertising tone comes in the wake of research which has found that Hong Kong people are among the most pessimistic in the world. In lightening up a category known for the earnest tone of its advertising, AXA has portrayed people in extremely unlikely situations - sleeping with a donkey, being knocked out by a falling coconut in downtown Hong Kong or falling into a manhole as in the "Donkey" TVC. The "Kids" commercial, features a man on a merry-go-round caught up in imaginary sword fights. John Snelgrove, AXA general manager, corporate affairs, said: "People in Hong Kong worry about the future more than enjoying what they have now. "So we show them these things and end with the tagline 'Go Ahead - Don't worry. Have some fun. What have you got to lose?', which gives the 'Go Ahead' part of the logo more substance, almost like Nike's 'Just do it'," Snelgrove added. Prior to this, insurance advertising has typically depicted how people have benefitted in the long-run when they sign up with an insurance company - children growing up, getting married and then growing old and retiring comfortably. Craig Davis, executive creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi, observed: "As AXA's brand awareness is already high, we would have gained nothing going down that route." Saatchi & Saatchi developed the AXA campaign. "The objective is to make AXA the preferred brand so we had to take it one step further," Davis added. Snelgrove said the change in strategy was risky but added: "You've got to take risks every now and again."

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