iSelect may drop Mr iSelect advertising positioning
Financial services brand iSelect may drop its long running “Mr iSelect” advertising positioning, the brand’s newly arrived marketing director has signalled.
Speaking at the Mumbrella Meet The Marketers event in Melbourne on Wednesday, Geraldine Davys, who joined iSelect in the last quarter of 2013 hinted that the “polarising” positioning developed by AJF Partnership Melbourne may not run for much longer.
Davys revealed that she had been unhappy with the positioning of the brand’s character, played by comedian Jason Geare. She said she had already overseen a switch of character which saw him become the butt of the jokes.
Asked whether she should treat the iSelect ad as having a short shelf life she said: “You sure do. It would be remiss of me to not be looking at the face of our brand and whether it has the stretch we need. Does it have the ability to really connect with our base in the medium to long term?”
Davys also expanded on her remarks, revealing that upon assuming the role in October last year she commissioned research on Geare’s character and consumer perceptions of him.
“Is it the right time to say there are other opportunities for the brand?” said Davys. “The first thing I did was to put some extensive research into the market. (Mr iSelect) has been awesome for our brand but he is quite polarising.”
“We are now trying to make sure the joke is on him as opposed to poking fun at other people.”
AJF has held the creative account since 2010, following a competitive pitch.
Why? why? why?
So it’s polarising; surely that’s good. People notice it. If we are now going to get researched to death pap that’s hardly a brave move – it’s simply ‘not invented here syndrome’.
I do not work for AJF but you have a strong brand property and the first move of the new ‘Marketing Director’ is to dump it. Why not change the branding too so no-one recognises you? How about giving your brand a new name so no-one will understand who you are? Dear oh dear….
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Here we go again.
You could conduct consumer research on North Korea and unearth surprisingly positive perceptions.
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What a surprised. New in town and wants to make their mark.
Did VB teach them nothing?
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Please do!!! He is without a doubt one of the most annoying and unfunny characters in advertising. I’m so sick of advertising characters that are arrogant and walking carefree through a situation, oblivious to what’s going on around them. It worked for Old Spice, but everyone that followed it has been worse and worse. This is the pinnacle of terrible.
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I think Ms Davys may be over-thinking this. Mr iSelect is firmly established, popular and has plenty of mileage left in him. Don’t want to make the same mistake as Budget Insurance, eh?
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This is a classic example of a Marketer about to make a huge mistake.
I’ve seen so many brands changed simply because there’s someone new at the helm, wanting to make their mark.
I’ve always liked this ‘Dave Brent type character’ campaign. People know it. Sure, not 100% of people will like it, but the only way you’ll ever be guaranteed of doing something that doesn’t please 100% of the people is to not do anything at all.
So, go ahead. Change your brand based on the opinions of ‘research’.
And then, when you do your research on you new ‘vanilla, non-polarising’ campaign, be prepared for the response of ‘Nah, I don’t think I’ve seen that one’.
And no, I don’t have any association with AJF or the creators of the current campaign whatsoever.
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Why fix something that ain’t broken? Haters gonna hate/you can’t get 100% of the market so would hope the company was absolutely certain that the people it ‘polarised’ were even potential customers not just research group attendees
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Agree with Roscoe. Nobody talks about the aliens in the Budget Insurance ads, but plenty pondered about the relationship between the older guy and the French girl.
And what’s that saying… the worse thing than being talked about is NOT being talked about.
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@Bem – you understand the concept of humour, right?
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love him.
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Mr Iselect works, we all remember it. Typical justification of a new job. Employ a new Marketing Manager, they engage the services of a research company, look for a new agency so on an so fourth. Will it improve the ROI???? Lets watch the share price.
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Sorry I must have been at a different session!
I believe she actually said that they wouldn’t change him for the moment as he is so memorable but they had made sure the joke was now on him and not on others.
Of course as any marketing professional should do, he needs to be reviewed regularly to see he is still fitting the brand positioning. She said that iSelect’s health products and he are so intrinsically linked that it is hard for iSelect to get through the messaging for their other ‘verticals’ as she put it – broadband etc.
So not sure when she said that they were dropping him… must have missed that!
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As above, I recall her comments quite differently to how they have been presented in this story. I hope that you provide Ms Davys with the opportunity to clarify her position on this.
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Love or hate Mr iSelect, he’s an idiot. This isn’t a TV show where there’s room for a character like that to grow. It’s an ad. I laugh, but every single time I see him I’m left thinking that the actual CEO of iSelect is also an idiot.
Comparing iSelect to the misstep Budget Insurance took with their “smarter” switch is equally idiotic. Budget took away two memorable characters, deemed them too lowbrow to continue using and replaced them with animated aliens, but forgot to change anything else about the concept. Also as a side note – boasting that you’re the cheapest car insurance agency conveys “cheapness” not “intelligence”, regardless of which publication bestowed the honour.
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Every time they make a new TVC … another piece of the brand dies.
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Nicky, you do understand that TV is a medium for entertainment, right? That’s the reason people watch it.
And as for you thinking that the real CEO of iSelect is also an idiot, do you also think that animals used to work in the Optus building, or that Gorillas really do play drums for Cadbury, or that Tasmanian water really does turn knives into light sabres, etc.
It’s advertising. People get it. Unfortunately, it looks like you don’t.
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Rule 1. Get noticed…cut through the clutter. Rule 2- if Rule 1 fails, the message is irelevant cos no one will notice anyhow. Mr iSelect certainly meets Rule 1- love him or hate him.
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@Ben- yes, I do. You understand that humour is subjective, don’t you? I’m not a bogan, so I don’t like him. Sorry…
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In a boring category, brands kill for a property to cut through and deliver multiple messages – iSelect have this with this guy.
Sure, he is a bit of a goofball, but anyone in research will always say ‘oh, it’s health insurance, it needs to be serious’ when the reality when they are watching at home is very different.
If this marketer wants to walk in and change it, she is obviously one of those people who wants to ‘make her mark’ for no rationale other than that.
She will be making a massive mistake if she walks from this.
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Just because you have a new broom, doesn’t mean you should use it. The campaign is arguably the best campaign in recent years, highly memorable high cut through and creates a lot of brand gravity. Probably the sole reason iselect is where it is. I’d think long and hard before such a risky pathway. People who buy insurance and have a brain know it tongue in cheek, but it does a hell of a job attracting, entertaining and enticing us. Last thing i think iselect would want is another Sensis train smash?
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Seems new marketer just doesn’t get it…. the joke is always on him ,,, watch your own ads!
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Marketing 101 – don’t broadcast your strategy to the competition – why on earth would you even be talking publicly about this – strange behaviour
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I give it another month or so before the logo and positioning statement are changed. Gotta put something on the resume. Mind you, the resume’s probably looking great after a loooonnggg stint at the renowned cutting edge, innovative marketing centre of excellence that is Sensis.
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