How the public fell in love with Rhonda
I did not, I must confess, spend the AFL grand final like a proper Sydneysider watching the Sydney Swans beat Hawthorn with beer in hand.
Somewhat less glamorously, I spent my Saturday afternoon opening up for the cleaners as they gave our new office its first once over.
The house across the road was having a footy party – and a loud one at that. As I watched the game in the office, I could hear the cheers and groans as the game unfolded.
And want to know what one of the biggest cheers during the game was was? When they cut from the action to an ad break and Rhonda, unthreatening everyday heroine of the AAMI ad, finally got it on with her Bali waiter Katut. A blokey voice rose above the cheers with the words “Go’rn Rhonda!” It was the sort of moment that marketers dream about.
I must admit, the idea of celebrating Rhonda the safe driver did little for me when the campaign first launched last year. It’s the kind of homely fair you wouldn’t expect to impress awards juries either.
But it has resonated with the public. When Big W held an in-store staff competition, more than one team paid tribute to Rhonda’s sunburnt face. Then of course there are the Facebook tribute pages; The Sexual Tension between Rhonda And Katut has more than 100,000 likes, while the alternatively spelt The Sexual Tension Between Rhonda and Ketut has 50,000.
When the ad went to public opinion research for ad of the year at the Mumbrella Awards, it scored strongly there too.
I’d love to see some effectiveness data.
Ogilvy has created for AAMI a brand personality that now has the potential to capture the public’s imagination for years. With the star rising for actress Mandy McElhinney, about to play Nene King in the next instalment of Paper Giants, the toughest thing may be in hanging on to the talent. That seems like a great problem to have.
Linkedin
As a Rhonda( a name that I thought would never be resurrected and die like “Dulcie” ) I have really enjoyed the ads. Keep up the good work!
User ID not verified.
As a member of the advertising industry, I am in awe of the new ads which aired today. I too was watching the game in a less than glamorous manner choosing the couch with my housemate instead. We have always joked about running away to a tropical island to find Katut and have recently commented that it was about time for a new AAMI ad. Today we let out a little girlish squeal when we saw the new ad and then sat here and discussed the ad in length. Well done to Ogilvy for creating a character that we have related to and admired. Now – can I please have Katut’s number?
User ID not verified.
Personally I would like to read more on the actor, is he from Bali, Australian, when I first saw the first ad my initial thought was how much are they paying him? Having worked for suncorp AAMI were known for paying the least money to their claims staff (out of the suncorp group).
User ID not verified.
I don’t usually like to point out spelling errors, but pubic opinion gives a whole other meaning! Reminds me of my PR lecturers always telling us, ‘There’s an L in public!’
“When the ad went to pubic opinion research for ad of the year at the Mumbrella Awards, it scored strongly there too.”
User ID not verified.
Thanks Amilla,
That one’s kinda vital!
Sorted.
Tim – Mumbrella
And it’s ‘fare’ not ‘fair’.
User ID not verified.
While watching the game with 20 friends on the big screen at someone’s house – there was quite a bit of noise throughout the game. Boys talking about the game, girls talking about everything else in between – but the room just about fell completely silent during the latest AAMI ad featuring Rhonda and Ketut.
I love the ads and think they’re very clever, but I too would like to know how effective it’s been for AAMI. Has it actually resulted in increased sales or brand awareness? Or are they simply now the ‘insurance company with the Rhonda and Ketut ads’?
User ID not verified.
So let’s get this straight. If Ketut has rooted Rhonda, surely the next step is seeing him getting fired from the resort? Staff can’t do that with customers, surely?!?
User ID not verified.
For me, the initial ‘hook’ of this commercial was the
name Katut…obviously genuine, and rather funny.
User ID not verified.
I like the series of linking ads, I think that helps develop the emotional attachment the public have with the medium.
Sex sells yet again
User ID not verified.
Everybody knows a Rhonda, is a Rhonda and can relate to a Rhonda.. Rhonda is real and believable and who hasn’t had a stray root on holidays!! Go Girlfriend! In my own random surveys, people have identified andf associated the ad to AAMI.. so well done to all involved.. and I can’t wait until the next installment!
User ID not verified.
Ok, I too was a little lukewarm to the first ad, but each one has really improved and built on the character, I like these ads because they have a nice narrative which just gets you more engaged with the character with each ad, but not at the expense of the brand – great work. But I would like to see some effectiveness data for these ads as well. I have done a fair amount of ad evaluation work lately and these ads come up often, and they are often polarizing (not that that tis a bad thing)
User ID not verified.
We have not had a character who has captured an audience like this in a very long time. The only notable character line which became a part of our social dialect I can remember was that “Not Happy Jan” line – perhaps for Yellow Pages?
When I first saw Rhonda in Bali I was a bit hesitant – was it racist/ stereotypical?
As someone who travels to Bali every couple of months, with many Balinese friends and family members my fears have been allayed.
Balinese people have an excellent sense of humour – you will see shops and street stalls selling “Rhonda Is Mine” t-shirts and other gimmicky Rhonda themed Balinese wares. This commercial in some way has celebrated the relationship between Aussies and the Balinese, albeit in a tongue in cheek way.
In doing so its engaged an additonal audience and in turn helped those street hawkers and retailers of the small island make a bit of cash too.
This ad and its story could have gone either way – but it has spoken to our community of middle Australians and hasn’t really angered the Balinese people. Very effective in reflecting on our holiday habits and international relationships and the tongue in cheek story continues to intrigue and has now become a story that we share with Bali.
User ID not verified.
gold all the way…..
Who cares about all the haters; it’s such a change to actually
laugh at a tvc instead of shake ones head…
I hope they have many babies!!
Rhonda & Ketut (not Ogilvy)!
User ID not verified.
We are talking about Rhonda and Katut, like a popular soap opera (or like Shirley Valentine). How many people outside of the industry are talking about AAMI? Not many. They will, however, gain more traction that with their other tripe ads, so I suppose it’s still a win. Backhanded compliments will never die.
User ID not verified.
The actor is Balinese but living in Melbourne-he was a part-time forklift driver before this, and has done nightclub appearances off the back of his newfound fame. Google “Ketut’s eyes on fame” for an interview with him…
User ID not verified.
LOL at the choice of the dude’s name. All the Filipinos would’ve been giggling because it’s one letter away from our slang word for intercourse: “kantut”. But if it was a real Indonesian name anyway… Lesson: Everything’s gonna be dirty *somewhere* on this planet! 🙂
User ID not verified.
I admit to borrowing Katut’s catchphrase “eyes on the road Rhonda!” more than once…
User ID not verified.
These ads make me wonder whether the story line was scripted to play out this way, or after the Facebook pages and popularity of the characters did the agency use the storyline to its advantage?
Would be great if someone knew because every time I see the ad that is what I think of 🙂
User ID not verified.
It’s like a soap opera… we want to know what happens next!!
User ID not verified.
Good concept, but on air way too often. If you follow the footy, the number of repeats becomes like Chinese Water Torture. Mix it up AAMI or I’ll switch to RACV
User ID not verified.
Loving the Rhonda ads, they definitely hit the mark. One other ad that stands out in my mind was the Barbara ad for ANZ I think we all had dealings with a Barbara at some time. One of my local banks (not my bank) has a sign on its window saying our Manager is Barbara (surname) come in and meet her. I always think immediately of the ad, then think no way wouldI I be banking with them, the power of advertising!
User ID not verified.
I loved these ads, but had no idea that Rhonda was a sexual tourist! LOL. Great concept and production – and a wonderfully extended narrative arc. Have we seen the last of Rhonda? I hope not. I can see her and Barbara from Bank World doing Thailand: Hangover style with Ketut and his brother in hot pursuit.
User ID not verified.
Remember Bigpond ‘Rabbits’?
Sometimes the planets align, and you end up with a finished commercial that’s way better than the script suggested it might be. Not Happy Jan for Yellow Pages as well.
Rhonda/Katut is one of these, and the agency should be well chuffed.
But think back to Rabbits. They ran a follow-up, and people liked it. Not quite as good as the original, but still worked. Then they tried for a third, and perhaps even a fourth. The charm wore off. Goodbye Rabbits.
This is not a 5 or 10 year campaign idea. It’s a wonderful one-off execution that will be extended to several commercials, each one likely to be less charming than the first.
That’s ok. Most advertisers should be so lucky to make one spot a decade that works as well as this. But it’s not a campaign idea, it’s not a brand idea, and AAMI won’t be able to stick with it for too much longer.
User ID not verified.
Just imagine for a sec if Rhonda was a Ron. And Ketut was a Kate. This women’s on a bloody sex holiday in Bali for God’s sake. I don’t see funny – I just see middle age desperation.
User ID not verified.
@rushdie I don’t think the intent was a ‘sex holiday’, and as we know from previous TVCs, Rhonda is.. well.. she’s a safe driver, so I don’t see baby Rhatut appearing across the scripts any time soon.
As many have previously suggested, I too would love to see the effectiveness data. Have these ads sold more insurance, or simply made Mandy McElhinney more identifiable?
User ID not verified.