Animals And Ads
Some times the TV ads are more entertaining than than the TV and many are funnier than the TV.
Two very successful campaigns featured animals (one is still running) and gave plenty of laughter along the way.
Compare The Market 2008
The famous Meerkats have been on TV since 2008 here in the UK and in Australia since 2013. The campaign featuring CGI meerkats promotes the price comparison website comparethemarket.com.
The campaign, launched on 5th January 2008, was created by advertising agency VCCP.
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The adverts were an instant hit with viewers and a huge commercial success for comparethemarket.com, which became the fourth most visited insurance website in the UK as a result. By 2010 comparethemarket.com was receiving more than 2 million hits per month. Aleksandr Orlov’s catchphrase “Simples” has become a favourite with many people who use it regularly.
There’s also been a number of promotions over the years from 2 for 1 cinema tickets, to 2 for 1 meals and even cuddly toys.
Meerkat movies promotion
Meerkat Meals
The company now sponsors hit ITV soap Coronation Street
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And the ads are still running
Summary
The ads feature Russian aristocrat meerkat Aleksandr Orlov founder of comparethemeerkat.com. The campaign originally centred on his frustration over the confusion between his website and comparethemarket.com, playing on the similarity between the words market and meerkat.
Subsequent ads have featured the ongoing adventures of Aleksandr and his sidekick Sergei.
Merchandising
A book featuring Orlov was published in 2010, and other merchandise such as cuddly toys has been created in tandem with the campaign.
PG Tipps
We covered this story in some detail and you can read it here but we are talking ads and animals and you can’t ignore one of the most popular and best remembered ad campaigns.
The Tipps family were a group of real chimps that first hit TV screens in 1956
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The campaign was hugely successful and popular running for over 40 years, finally coming to an end in 2002. Animal rights organisations were frequent critics of the campaign leading to a brief spell in the 1970’s where the chimps were dropped, but as the chimps dropped so did tea sales and consequently they were back within 18 months.
Summary
The ads featured a family of chimps in a variety of scenarios over the years, perhaps the best remembered was Mr Shifter
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When the chimps were dropped PG Tips ads continued to be eye catching with more animals in the frame this time they were courtesy of Aardman Animations