Direct response agency Atomic Direct took the wheel to revamp San Francisco brand agency Buder Engel’s “On you go” campaign for the California State Automobile Association (CSAA) for a direct response market hit.
In creating the 60-second “Dry Cleaning” spot, Atomic Direct started with the film from a 30-second brand ad created by Buder Engel.
“It’s a challenge when you get to the crossing of brand advertising and DRTV,” said Doug Garnett, founder and president of Atomic Direct, Portland, OR. “You have to figure out the essence of the brand, but then you have to ask for the customer to take action.”
“We were fortunate to start with an excellent brand vision from the CSAA/BuderEngel partnership,” Mr. Garnett said.
Atomic Direct cut a few sequences from the 30-second spot deemed extraneous to the DRTV effort, while retaining the essence of the brand ad. However, the voiceover was completely rewritten into the more literal wording needed to drive response.
For example, where the voiceover in the 30-second spot asks the viewer, “How does it feel when the fates conspire to take you off the road?” the DRTV spot says, “The wrong time to think about car insurance is when you need it most.”
The brand ad says, “With AAA auto insurance, it can feel like you’ve never left it.” A similar point in the DRTV spot, which introduces the female character to the viewer as “Jill” says, “So if Jill ever does have a claim, she knows her AAA insurance team is dedicated to getting her vehicle repaired and back on the road…just like it never happened.”
Both ads finish with a tag line. In the case of the brand spot it’s “AAA. And on you go.” But the DRTV spot closes with a final call to action, “Call AAA insurance now…and on you go.”
The rewritten voiceover contains a total of three calls to action. It also includes the offer of a complimentary accident claim kit, which includes a disposable camera, a flashlight, and information checklist with your no-obligation quote.
“Dry Cleaning” recently won the “Best in Show – Television” award at the Insurance Marketing Communications Association 2006 awards show in San Francisco.
“As DRTV specialists, we’re particularly excited that our 60-second DRTV work was selected over traditional 30-second advertising,” Mr. Garnett said.
