Budget Direct’s ‘transfixing’ detective ad wins Mumbrella’s Ad of the Month for making insurance interesting
Budget Direct has won Mumbrella’s September Ad of the Month for its epic two-and-a-half minute ad, which notably left out its long-standing brand ambassador, Captain Risky.
The ad was labelled as “highly entertaining”, “transfixing”, “compelling” and was applauded for making insurance interesting.
“I saw the ad in situ at the cinema on the weekend and everyone became hushed the moment it came on due to its cinematic appeal. Budget Direct had great cut through in an otherwise difficult/cluttered/switch off environment,” one voter said.
“The Budget Direct add is highly entertaining and fun to watch. It really grabs the viewers attention. It’s very witty smart and comical. I was happy to watch the entire spot and really not think of it as advertising,” another voter added.
Budget Direct managed to beat out contenders Contiki, Woolmark, Subaru, MLA and Sorbent.
The insurer won Ad of the Month with 35.47% of the vote, while Contiki came in a very close second with 32.95% of the vote.
Other voters applauded the ad, saying: “It is an add that has international appeal. The storytelling draws you in and compels you to continue watching. This is a commercial that I would not mute when watching TV at home.”
“The ad is very different from everything I’ve seen before on television. It creates a story that makes us want to know more about. It makes insurance interesting!”
Nick Cleaver, CEO of 303 MullenLowe, said in a statement to Mumbrella: “Operating in an exceptionally competitive category it’s imperative to stand out in a compelling and relevant way. This campaign does.
“The truth about Budget Direct is they offer great value insurance so it does pose the natural question “why would people pay more than they have to for insurance?” That is something of a mystery and Sarge is going to entertain you as he seeks to solve this conundrum.
“We also believe the campaign’s production values make a great statement about the quality of the Budget Direct brand. We are firm believers that advertising effectiveness is driven by emotionally driven and engaging campaigns.”
Other contenders for September included:
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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