VCCP founder admits a famous campaign can be ‘a double edged sword’ for agencies

Priest

The founder of the agency behind Compare the Meerkat campaign VCCP has admitted having a successful campaign that becomes intrinsically linked with an agency is a “double-edged sword”, adding he wants its Sydney office to become known  for effective campaigns across a range of clients.

Ian Priest told Mumbrella that two years on from the opening of the Sydney branch of the agency with Compare the Market as a founding client “I’d like us to be known for more than just Compare the Meerkat as we are starting to be known, but to have three or four landmark clients that deliver that sort of thing”.

He admitted it was not cut and dried that the successful UK campaign featuring meerkat Aleksandr Orlov would be used in Australia, adding: “Not all ideas travel. We knew that idea worked in the UK, obviously there are similarities of language and culture but you still have to make sure it will work over here. Is Compare the Market in the same competitive situation? Are there the same business objectives?