Naked's new campaign takes aim at advertising’s obsession with perfection by turning familiar ‘perfect’ commercials into unexpected insurance ads.
Naked’s new four-part campaign interrupts the glossy world of advertising with the messy moments when you need insurance (Image supplied)
The four-part campaign, Accidental Naked Ads, was developed by Naked’s in-house creative team and brought to life with director Ari Kruger and Patriot Films.
Kruger, known for his work on the Tali’s Wedding Diaries, Tali’s Baby Diary and Suzelle DIY, brings his comedy credentials to a campaign built around the moment an advertising fantasy falls apart.
“Advertising spends a lot of time pretending people have perfect lives. Insurance advertising then tends to tell them how badly things could go wrong, or how much money they could save,” says Shane Durrant, head of marketing at Naked.
“We wanted to have some fun with both conventions. What happens when the person in the perfume ad has the kind of day the rest of us have?”
Finding the humour in insurance
“You can recognise a perfume ad before you know which perfume it’s selling. The same goes for razors. The visual language is so familiar that you almost don’t question it,” says Durrant.
“That gives us something to play with. You think you know what you’re watching, and then real life gets in the way.”
The humour also gives Naked a different way into a category often marketed through warnings about what could go wrong. “You don’t have to frighten people to make insurance advertising relevant,” says Durrant.
“An accident can be stressful and expensive, but the circumstances can also be absurdly human.
“The joke is about the fantasy of being completely in control. We’re not laughing at someone needing to claim.”
The campaign
All four ads land on the line: Good thing you’re covered by Naked.
- Own the Moment
The first ad, Own the Moment, opens in unmistakable perfume-ad territory: a beautiful woman, an otherworldly set and a voiceover promising “Power… Mystery… Control…”. She spritzes herself with perfume, climbs into a luxury car and reverses straight into a wall. The composure disappears, and what looked like a fragrance commercial becomes an ad for car insurance.
- A close Shave
A close Shave takes on the equally recognisable world of men’s razor advertising. A chiselled leading man and close-ups of a smooth shave deliver all the hallmarks of a grooming commercial. Then, a geyser crashes through the ceiling, turning his polished morning routine into a decidedly messier home insurance moment.
The campaign also takes on the inspirational world of running-shoe advertising and the polished glamour of luxury-watch commercials.
- Nothing Can Stop You
- Time is Everything
A different level of ownership
Like many tech businesses internationally, Naked has built much of its brand and creative capability in-house. This approach brings the people developing the advertising closer to the product, customers and business objectives behind it.
“When you work on the same brand every day, you get beyond the list of product features,” says Durrant.
“You understand what genuinely matters to customers and what the advertising needs to do. There’s a different level of ownership when it’s your brand every day.”The campaign is currently running across digital platforms and selected DStv channels.
