Friends save koalas in NRMA’s ‘Every home is worth protecting’ continuation
The boy who saved a koala has returned in a new adventure for NRMA, protecting more of the vulnerable species by removing markers tied to trees set to be cut down.
Created by The Monkeys, the ad follows on from 2019’s ‘Every home is worth protecting’ campaign, only this time Sammy is accompanied by a new ally, Ruby.
After being altered to remove a scene of Sammy climbing a ladder resting against a power pole, the footage used in the original campaign has been repurposed over recent years, particularly in communications from the brand over the 2019-20 summer bushfire crisis. The campaign won a gold Effie in 2020 and was this month awarded a Gold Tangram for Effectiveness.
NRMA credits the campaign with making it the third strongest brand in Australia and strongest insurance brand in the world, according to Brand Finance’s reputable Brand Strength Index.
IAG’s chief marketing officer, Brent Smart, said: “The Koala work has been
incredibly effective for our brand and business. We resisted the temptation for
a shiny new creative idea and have doubled down on our commitment to this
as a long idea that will keep building our brand.”
At the recent Future of TV Advertising conference, Smart said that such long-term brand building is the hardest part of any chief marketing officer’s job.
“You’re not going to say the pay off in the first quarter, you might not see it in the first year,” he commented.
“We’re seeing it now from the work we did way back in the start of 2018 when we launched ‘Help’ … But so few marketers either have the patience, the will, the support from their organisation to be able to do it.”
The koala has become somewhat of a motif for NRMA since The Monkeys took over its master brand creative. The 2018 campaign which launched the platform ‘Help is who we are’ prominently featured a firefighter rescuing a koala in a bushfire.
The latest instalment was again directed by Revolver’s Gary Freedman and reflects NRMA Insurance’s partnerships with Conservation Volunteers Australia and Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.
“Nothing matters more than the feeling of security you get from your home. In our latest campaign we continued the story of Sammy as he tries to help safeguard koala homes that are under threat,” said The Monkeys creative director Barbara Humphries.
“The campaign is designed to demonstrate our understanding that there is
more to a home than it being just the bricks and mortar we live within.”
DDB’s Tara Ford will soon become The Monkeys’ chief creative officer, replacing Justin Drape, who announced his departure from the agency he co-founded and built at the start of the year.
NRMA’s latest campaign is appearing across TV, out-of-home, social and online.
The out-of-home execution
Credits
Client: NRMA Insurance
Brent Smart: Chief Marketing Officer
Sally Kiernan: Director, Brand Marketing
Zara Curtis: Director, Content & Customer Engagement
Caroline Hugall: Director, Group Brand Strategy
Luke Farrell: Director, Marketing Operations
Sam McGown: Creative & Innovation Lead
Danielle Picker: Creative & Innovation Specialist
Creative Agency: The Monkeys, part of Accenture Interactive
Group CEO and Co-Founder: Mark Green
Managing Director: Matt Michael
Group Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder: Scott Nowell
Creative Directors: Barbara Humphries & Benn Sutton
Creatives: Benn Sutton, Barbara Humphries, Katie Kidd & Brett Edwards
Head of Production/Senior Producer: Penny Brown
Senior Integrated Producer: Tanith Williamson
Chief Strategy Officer: Fabio Buresti
Head of Planning: Hugh Munro
Planner: Joseph Harris
Business Director: Kezia Quinn
Senior Content Manager: Sophie Finckh
Production Company: Revolver/Will O’Rourke
Director: Gary Freedman
MD/Co-Owner: Michael Ritchie
EP/Partner: Pip Smart
Producer: Caroline Kruck
DoP: Simon Duggan
Production Design: Arabella Lockhart
ARC
Editor: Jack Hutchings & Lucas Baynes
EP: Daniel Fry
Post House: Fin Design and Effects
Post Flame Artist: Justin Bromley
Post Producer: Emily Newbould
Colourist: Billy Wychgel
Music Composition and Sound Post: Sonar Music
Sonar Music Executive Producer: Sophie Haydon
Sonar Music Producer: Haylee Poppi
Photographer: Derek Henderson
Photographer Assistant: David Deas
Producer: Adam Watson
Retouching: Cream Electric Art
Retoucher: Pieter Owen
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topics
Barbara Humphries
Brent Smart
Help is Who We Are
IAG
NRMA
NRMA Insurance
Ranger Sammy
The Monkeys
