Campaign Review: AAMI takes on Ladbrokes
In Campaign Review, Mumbrella invites the industry's creatives and strategists to offer their views on recent ad campaigns. For this week's Campaign Review, Mumbrella asked Fenton Stephen's Campbell Smith and Innocean's Damon Porter to review AAMI's Fansurance campaign by Ogilvy Australia and the latest work for Ladbrokes from The Monkeys.
Brand: AAMI
Campaign: Fansurance
Agency: Ogilvy Australia
The verdict: A take on sports sponsorship that’s true to the brand
Campbell Smith, chief strategy officer at Fenton Stephens, gave it a 7.5/10, saying:
Though a throwback to a less enlightened time, the AAMI Girl and her call-centre headset remains an advertising mnemonic that most brands wish they had. Here she works overtime in the dying moments as we montage our way through 45 seconds of spectator slapstick without much clue as to what we are watching and why we are watching it.
But that’s the awesome thing about enduring advertising properties, right? She catches the ball, we hear the sting and 30-odd years of conditioning attributes AAMI to footy in our brains. So top marks for putting value on that.
Executionally I’m not a huge fan of montage ads but the moments are smiley enough and the seat gag at the end conjures a fear I completely relate to. I find the 60 a bit laboured: maybe shorter spots with just the one mishap told in more detail would work better.
It’s not really a promotion ad. No real effort given to prizes or entry mechanics. But that’s okay: AAMI Clangers have been a constant presence in all manner of AFL content for a while now and this campaign gives that connection fresh legs. And the AAMI Girl loops us back to the master brand. So, solid game.
Damon Porter, creative director at Innocean, gave it a 7/10, saying:
Sports sponsorship can be more than just slapping a logo on a jersey. This spot from Ogilvy is proof. With FANSURANCE, AAMI aren’t just telling fans they sponsor footy, they’re showing fans they understand what it means to be a true fan of the game.
Hats off to getting a sixty second sponsorship spot on TV. It gives the ad time to breathe, and the slow motion helps dramatise the pain suffered by the fans. That said, some of the scenarios feel more contrived than others.
What I like most about this campaign is there’s a clear role here for the brand that no other sponsoring brands can own; Insuring the mishaps that can occur off the field.
Brand: Ladbrokes
Campaign: Turn off the markets
Agency: The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song
The verdict: Funny but cliched
Campbell gave it a 6/10, saying:
Ladbrokes seem to be the opposite of AAMI. Apart from the ‘Ladbroke It’ line, there isn’t much that builds a bridge from campaign to campaign in recent years. After dropping Mark Wahlberg from last year, they’ve now gone with the ‘mates who bet together, stay together’ thing that’s super-generic for the category. Which makes it hard for the brand to own the initiative that they’re advertising.
Having said all that, the concept of a pub full of commentators is funny and I suspect spot-on for the baked-on phone bettor. Some lovely casting and no doubt golden moments ended up on the cutting room floor. Switching off the ‘voices in my head’ is a potentially tricky space to go to but the agency and client teams have executed it here with craft and aplomb.
I like the idea and strategy. But playing executionally in the same ‘blokes who bet’ space makes it harder to stand out as a brand, so a few marks off for that.
Damon gave it a 6/10, saying:
A man walks into a bar. But this isn’t a joke. It’s the latest spot for Ladbrokes, and it’s full of loud sports commentators, and as many commentary cliches as you can fit into thirty seconds. There’s even a subtle tribute to the late, great cricket commentator Richie Benaud.
Executionally, humanising a piece of tech through the analogy of turning all the commentators down is simple enough. It’s entertaining and the setting and cast are spot on for the Ladbrokes brand.
The issue for me is the message for the punters, ‘turn off the markets, not the fun’. This spot came out during Gambling Harm Awareness Week, and what they’re essentially saying is, if you need a break from gambling, mute us but please don’t delete us. Couldn’t they have given the entire thirty seconds to a gambling helpline, executed in the Ladbrokes tone of voice? Then, to use another commentary cliche, punters “would be the real winner on the day.”
As told to Kalila Welch. If you’re a senior creative or strategist who would like to take part in a future Campaign Review, please email kwelch@mumbrella.com.au.
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