AAMI wraps up Rhonda and Ketut campaign as actors become ‘unavailable’
AAMI executive manager Richard Riboni told Mumbrella fans of Rhonda and Ketut should not expect any more ads featuring the two characters with the ‘School reunion’ spot their last.
Today the brand revealed it was auctioning off Rhonda’s “brakefoot bling” in a charity eBay auction as it looks to draw a line under the campaign which has run for three years, and proven popular with the public.
On the campaign’s conclusion he said: “All good things must come to an end eventually, all stories have an end date. The final ads are on air at the moment.”
Riboni hinted the campaign, created by Ogilvy Melborune, has been concluded due to the actors availability – actress Mandy McElhinney plays Rhonda while Melbourne forklift driver Kadek Mahardika plays Ketut.
“The actors need to be available and wanting to do it and this point in time they’re not going to be available to play those roles in the foreseeable future,” he said when asked if the pair might appear again.
McElhinney is currently appearing in Nine’s Love Child and has picked up a variety of roles in Aussie dramas including Nine’s Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War miniseries and starring as legendary magazine editor Nene King in the ABC’s second instalment of Paper Giants: Magazine Wars since she first appeared for the insurance brand in 2011.
“You always want to end a campaign on a good note, there was limitations to how much further the story could go and how you could still keep the characters relevant after three years. Three years was a pretty good stint,” continued Riboni.
“We’re really thankful the Australian public has grown to love these two characters and has followed their trials and tribulations of love and hope they’ve enjoyed seeing the story play out as much as we have had creating it.
“We had no idea it was going to be as popular as this has turned out to be.”
The campaign has seen dozens of fan pages appearing on social networks and spawned unofficial t-shirts in Bali featuring Ketut catchphrases.
“It’s not something you expect, you always hope for it. It’s certainly has been one of those campaigns that’s captured the imagination of Australians,” added Riboni.
On what’s next for AAMI, Riboni teased: “You’ll have to wait and see. There won’t be another Rhonda and Ketut, it will be something else.”
AAMI first introduced Rhonda in October 2011 with Ketut introduced as a love interest later in the campaign when she visited Bali. AAMI followed up the Bali romance with a love-triangle between Rhonda, Ketut and Trent Toogood with the public invited to chose who was right for Rhonda. Of course, Rhonda chose Ketut in a commercial launched in January.
Miranda Ward
If I was a betting man we will see this campaign back in a few years with a baby featuring heavily.
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Where is ‘Melborune’?
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I found the Rhonda/Ketut campaign quite engaging, best one since the old Nescafe series. Needs to end with a wedding/baby though.
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Rhonda and Ketut can’t be allowed to just disappear and AAMI isn’t thinking this through.
A wedding (wedding insurance), honeymoon (travel insurance), the purchase of a cute Labrador (pet insurance) and then the big one – BAMBINOS!!!
No AAMI – you and your Agency – need to go away and re workshop this whole scenario. Perhaps with the Indonesian elections, the romance could continue…Rhonda working in the Australian Embassy in Djarkata and Ketut, an Aide to the new Indonesian President. Aren’t Agencies famous for thinking outside the SQUARE? I for one do not want another campaign about someone else..
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Thank Christ for that.
Boring. Designed for simpletons with brain damage.
I hope it made the poor sods happy.
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My husband and I have become known as RHonda and Ketut at work, in our small town in which we live in the mid north of SA andour grandchildren. We are alson inthe thows of having these names on the back of oue caravan. Please keep the adds going for our sake.
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Pasu could not believe his squinty eyes when he saw how Ketut got wife like Rhonda. Ketut is one lucky man. Pasu hop he get wife like that in Australia.
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