Mini Cooper’s latest radio ad jokingly refers to the many different ways to buy car insurance in SA, including the Hippo way. The ad ends by claiming that for all the choice, no way beats Mini’s, with their new insurance offering from BMW Financial Services. Comparison engine hippo.co.za promptly responded with a playful spot of its own, flighted directly after the Mini ad.
“Advertisers don’t have to stay in their pigeonholes. It’s great when a brand identifies the opportunity to deliver a swift, cheeky riposte, and backs it with the conviction that Hippo has,” says Rob Rutherford, creative director at hippo.co.za’s creative agency, MetropolitanRepublic.
The opening line of the Mini radio spot sets the scene: “When it comes to good, proper car insurance, it’s your way, my way, their way… even hippos seem to have a way.”
The Hippo ad starts off by agreeing with ‘Mr Mini Man’ that there are many (pronounced ‘mini’) different insurance offerings on the market, but reminds listeners that only the Hippo way lets you compare quotes, resulting in a “big Hippo saving”, not a “mini one”. “It’s a battle of the ads, in a positive way. It’s a great way to have fun and to create interest in a category where insurance companies really are jostling for space,” says Carl Louw, executive head of Marketing for hippo.co.za.
