I was thinking about my favorite advertisements on TV over the years, and the Meerkat Insurance advertisements always came to mind. Whenever I am visiting family in England, these ads always pop up and although they are slightly immature, they always seem to make me chuckle. Talking animals is a tactic used to entertain and keep the attention of children in children’s books, so I think it is impressive to see how this is in turn used in advertisements for adults with things like insurance.
I always hear my family complain about these ads that always seem to come on during every advertising break. But this is where these ads are so effective – they stay in people’s minds and catch their attention. These ads do not have a specific audience, but hope that through their creation of these unique characters, that they also attempt to sell merchandise through, they will catch the eye of potential customers.
I agree with you and Dr. Bezio’s point in the podcast, that the effectiveness of ads can be measured primarily by catchiness and memorability.
Wow, I am now a huge fan of Meerkat Insurance! Definitely, making it memorable and unique can help with the effectiveness of the ad!
The fact that this ad is evokes such an automatic reaction from your family really does prove that it is an effective advertising campaign. I also think this does a good job of creating a funny, humorous tone for an otherwise relatively serious topic, so it can draw people in better.