Each character is the star of their own advert, all of which premiered simultaneously at 21:15 on Friday 6th March 2020. In a world-first TV and VOD ad break takeover, the spots appeared across ITV, Channel 4 and Sky. The launch moment alone was expected to reach 7.5 million people.
The deals were managed and negotiated by Born Licensing, the licensing agent for MGM, ViacomCBS Networks (formally Viacom International Media Networks/VIMN) and Hasbro.
The Donatello spot shows the tech-savvy turtle in CGI form, skateboarding his way to a plumbing emergency only to discover that Direct Line has beat him to it. Direct Line’s depiction of the pizza-loving amphibian was created based on the classic "retro" concept for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which first hit the small screen in 1987.
There's been an emergency! Will Donatello make it in time or will he be #OutHeroed?
Bumblebee, meanwhile, is involved in an action-packed journey from an auction house to a minor car accident where he learns that Direct Line has already sent a taxi to the scene. Finally, RoboCop finds himself negotiating his way through city streets on a motorbike to an office space, but he too finds out that Direct Line has beaten him to save the day by replacing stolen laptops.
Stand down Bumblebee, we're on it.
RoboCop might have been #OutHeroed, but will you? Try to spot the 4 cult quotes.
“We’re thrilled to share this brilliant example of how powerful characters can be in advertising,” said David Born, director of Born Licensing. “Each of these characters are instantly recognisable and adored by generations of fans. Teamed with the talented creative team at Saatchi & Saatchi London, an Oscar nominated director and best in class postproduction, the result has an amazingly cinematic feel which will no doubt have viewers wanting to watch the adverts again and again.”
Wendy Moores, head of marketing at Direct Line, added: “Our customers know that the second anything goes wrong, we will leap into action and have them covered.
“Our new campaign suggests that we are so good at doing this that we’re even better problem solvers than some of the world’s best and most loved heroes, to ensure we stay ahead of the insurance pack.”
The campaign consists of 3 x 60” adverts along with cut downs and will be supported by out of home placement on billboards, buses and bus stops. Other campaign material featuring the characters includes print, social media, online, radio, home page takeovers and other activity to be announced.
Donatello is no stranger to starring in commercials, having previously being featured in Virgin Media's fibre advertisement in 2017 (created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty London) alongside Usain Bolt, Iron Lord Hunter and Southampton FC.
Donnie, RoboCop and Bumblebee takeover from Winston "The Wolf" Wolfe. Portrayed by Harvey Keitel, Wolfe – of Pulp Fiction fame – first joined Direct Line in 2014, marking a new positioning for the brand as the ultimate "fixer" for people with Direct Line insurance.
From campaign:
Direct Line says goodbye to Winston Wolfe
Wolfe has been replaced by RoboCop, Donatello from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Bumblebee of the Transformers.
After a long and chequered career as Hollywood’s sharp-tongued problem-solver, Winston "The Wolf" Wolfe is finally retiring as the face of Direct Line.
Portrayed by Harvey Keitel, Wolfe – of Pulp Fiction fame – first joined Direct Line in 2014, marking a new positioning for the brand as the ultimate "fixer" for people with Direct Line insurance.
The first ad narrowly escaped a ban from the Advertising Standards Authority due to complaints that it was "misleading". That said, Mark Evans, marketing director, marketing and digital, at Direct Line, claimed the brand’s marketing team was left "in awe" of the idea when it was first pitched by Saatchi & Saatchi, which was appointed to the business that same year.
Wolfe’s highlights include 2015’s "Hens", "Cocoa" and, most recently, "Tracey on ice" last year.
In his place, Direct Line has launched a campaign starring RoboCop, Donatello from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Bumblebee from Transformers.
Created by Saatchi & Saatchi London with VFX and character animation by The Mill, "We’re on it" follows the Hollywood heroes as they skate, accelerate and (in the case of Bumblebee) jump over a moving train in an attempt to help people in need. Things take an anticlimactic turn, however, when each character finds they’ve been bettered by a Direct Line employee.
Launched alongside social media, out-of-home and radio activity, as well as a partnership with Twitter via the hashtag #outheroed, the work was created by Will Brookwell and Will Helm, and directed by Bryan Buckley through Hungry Man. Media is handled by MediaCom.
This marks the first time Direct Line has brought all of its personal and business product lines together for a campaign. It is set to make its TV debut at 9:15pm tonight (Friday) across ITV, Channel 4 and Sky simultaneously, with a predicted reach of 7.5 million people for the launch.
"Wolfe’s campaign has been hugely successful and still continues to be, but we have to make sure that we're future-proofing ourselves," Wendy Moores, head of marketing at Direct Line, told Campaign.
"The world's changing, insurance is changing and we need to make sure that we've got creative material that's fit and ready to stand the tests of time. We could have continued with Winston for a number of years to come, but we would rather make that decision now than get to a stage where we have to make a change."
Direct Line isn’t the first brand to enlist TV characters from decades past. In 2016, Halifax (and Adam & Eve/DDB) began providing "entertaining advice" to personalities including Top Cat, Fred and Wilma from The Flintstones, the cast of Scooby-Doo and even Dorothy and the gang from The Wizard of Oz, with visual effects also provided by The Mill.
Moores said: "The difference between this campaign and what Halifax released is that you cannot retell the story without talking about the brand. These are proper brand ads and we're using the proposition to help with brand comprehension, whereas none of us can quite remember whether those ads were Halifax or Nationwide.
"We can remember the characters, but we can't remember the products or anything about what they were trying to say about that brand, and so they were properly borrowing on the equity of pop culture."
In 2017, Donatello made a cameo in Virgin Media’s "This is Virgin fibre" spot (created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty London) alongside Usain Bolt, Iron Lord Hunter and Southampton FC.
However, Direct Line’s depiction of the pizza-loving amphibian was created based on the classic concept for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which first hit the small screen in 1987.
Frankie Goodwin, creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi, said: "The Mill did justice to a character [Bumblebee] that was literally a tennis ball on a stick when we were on set. Donatello was a strange short man in a pair of green tights. It's very easy to write 'Transformer dude' in the script, but bringing that to life to the same quality as what people know and love is a leap of faith.
"It has been wonderful to design Donnie with Viacom Nickelodeon based on the original characters and we've heard early comments that we've revived the childhood turtles that people really loved."
While Goodwin claims that there is a wealth of characters the campaign may choose to adopt moving forward, Donnie, Bumblebee and RoboCop are expected to feature in the campaign for the next 12 months.
Sarah Jenkins, managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi London, added: "There's so much joy in the scalability and the longevity of the idea that no-one is better than Direct Line – not even superheroes. We don't need to show a superhero to use that idea."
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From License Global:
Exclusive: Breaking Down the Direct Line Ad Spots with Donatello, Bumblebee and RoboCop
Born Licensing, Nickelodeon and MGM shine a light on how TV ad campaigns represent an exciting new future for licensing.
On Friday, March 6, a new U.K. ad campaign swept the nation’s screens. Starring some of the world’s most iconic heroes - RoboCop, Donatello (the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) and Bumblebee (the Transformer) – the Direct Line ad spots called “We’re On It” marks a new brand identity for the insurance company and acts as a successor to the licensed campaign featuring Harvey Keitel as Winston Wolfe, first shown in 2014.
Speaking with Born Licensing – the agency behind the licensed campaign – and the licensors involved, License Global gains exclusive insight into how licensing is playing an increasingly bigger part in the U.K. advertising industry.
How Licensing Can Enhance Brand Messaging
Directed by two-time Oscar nominee Bryan Buckley, named “King of the Super Bowl” by The New York Times after directing 50 half-time commercials, this new campaign was designed to complement a brand identity refresh for Direct Line, before making its way onto televisions, cinema screens and beyond during its big launch. So, how does such a significant campaign call for the world’s greatest heroes?
“Our customers know that the second anything goes wrong, we will leap into action and have them covered,” says Wendy Moores, head, marketing, Direct Line. “Our new campaign suggests that we are so good at doing this that we’re even better problem solvers than some of the world’s best and most loved heroes, to ensure we stay ahead of the insurance pack.”
“Direct Line’s new campaign is all about positioning themselves as the fastest and most efficient problem solvers,” says David Born, director, Born Licensing. “To demonstrate this, they wanted to leverage some of the world’s most well-known characters who are famous for being heroes, solving problems and saving the day. By showing these heroic characters getting beaten by Direct Line, the advertiser is highlighting how great their service is in an entertaining and engaging way.”
“Advertising history isn’t easily achieved,” adds Buckley, “unless you have Bumblebee clearing the path, Donatello at your side and RoboCop watching your back.”
How to Capture Multi-Generational TV Viewers with Characters
The kids who grew up with Donatello, Bumblebee and RoboCop are today’s insurance customers, a demographic proven to engage with nostalgia properties. Bring those properties into the home with an attention-grabbing campaign, and the effect is more powerful than straight promotional materials.
“Direct Line has done a brilliant job at tapping into three generationally loved characters: Donatello, Bumblebee and RoboCop,” says Born. “All three characters first appeared in the 1980s, and since then, have each captured our attention through films, home entertainment, gaming and consumer products. Nostalgia will certainly play a part in these adverts, as a lot of consumers who grew up in the 1980s and engaged with the brands early on are now making choices about insurance providers. However, thanks to the ongoing activity surrounding each property, newer generations will engage with the Direct Line campaign, too.”
After seeing huge success with Born Licensing’s previous campaign with Money Supermarket – which featured “Masters of the Universe” characters He-Man and Skeletor – the new “We’re On It” campaign is expected to reach 7.5 million views from the launch moment alone, eventually reaching 77 percent of U.K. adults after two weeks and 91 percent after four weeks.
The Consumer Appeal of Characters in Ad Campaign.
According to reports from Newcastle University, characters are more powerful in advertisement, hold more purchase intent than celebrities and are seen as more trustworthy across wider consumer perception. So, how do these characters fit in with campaigns, and how can licensing characters bolster the properties’ brand awareness?
“‘RoboCop’ is a satirical sci-fi thriller known for explosive action and smart-mouthed one-liners, celebrated by fans and critics since its first debut in 1987,” says Robert Marick, executive vice president, global consumer products and experiences, MGM. “Four films later and a fifth instalment in development, the ‘RoboCop’ franchise continues to sit in the center of the pop-culture zeitgeist and delight fans with his ‘do good’ attitude. From consumer products, to interactive games and licensed media, the lead character resonates with fans young and old. This campaign definitely provides our consumers opportunity to engage with the property every day through its linear television campaign, social media overlay and outdoor signage. The campaign and the RoboCop character will be everywhere.”
“Donatello is a universally recognized ‘hero-in-a-half-shell’ and a much-loved character who has cross-generational appeal,” says Venetia Davie, vice president, consumer products, ViacomCBS Networks, U.K. and Ireland. “He’s known for being the smartest and most tech savvy of the turtles with an intuitive ability to understand how things work, from computer robotics and rocket propulsion systems to lights in the fridge, he’s the perfect choice for this action-packed campaign. We know that when Donatello appears in the Direct Line campaign it will grab consumers’ attention, no matter their age. Whilst we know that the parents are the ones purchasing insurance for their cars, homes and businesses, the ad is designed to be entertaining for children as well.”
As licensing evolves and the industry finds new avenues of revenue, creativity, awareness and engagement with consumers, nostalgia and brand perception are just a few of the factors attached to TV advertising. But what can innovative advertising do to support the industry and provide a viable option for licensors looking to bolster brands?
“As traditional areas of licensing become more challenging, licensors are looking at new ways to engage with audiences,” adds Born. “Lending their characters to advertisers like Direct Line allows them to reach a broad audience in a new and different way. Using this campaign as an example, British audiences will engage with Donatello, Bumblebee and RoboCop across television, radio, on public transport, on a billboard, on social media, in the newspaper and in a number of other ways. In addition to reaching new audiences, licensing their IP in advertising campaigns opens up a new revenue stream that can help support their business. We expect a campaign of this level to start a nationwide conversation about the characters, and it wouldn’t surprise us if consumer products relating to those characters experienced a spike in sales. We’ve seen that happen with previous characters featured in advertising campaigns.”
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Additional source: Licensing Source.
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