Updated: Ad phenomenon, Global businesskat Aleksandr Orlov and comparethemeerkat.com.au website launches in Australia via VCCP Australia
Updated to include TVC. The advertising phenomenon, Aleksandr Orlov and his meerkat comparison website launches in Australia last night (Sunday 3 February) with the arrival of comparethemeerkat.com.au and a TVC via VCCP Australia.
The campaign enjoyed huge success abroad and has been introduced to support awareness for the new comparison website comparethemarket.com.au which launched in January via VCCP Australia.
In the UK, comparethemeerkat.com helped comparethemarket.com gain enormous commercial success and become one of the country’s most recognised and awarded brands of the last decade, as well as fuelling the success and growth of online comparison in general.
Fronted by an aristocratic Russian meerkat, Aleksandr Orlov, who is the founder of comparethemeerkat.com.au, the campaign is a cleverly constructed play-on-words between an apparent common mistake of consumers searching for ‘meerkat’ rather than ‘market’.
The new advert illustrates Aleksandr’s confusion around 
the sudden increase in traffic to his website by consumers looking to compare insurance since the launch of comparethemarket.com.au. To help customers find their way, he politely demonstrates that the websites are ‘two very different things’ and that he is in the business of comparing meerkats – not insurance.
The entrepreneurial meerkat’s website comparethemeerkat.com.au also launches this week. The integrated campaign is set to boost brand awareness and traffic for comparethemarket.com.au. It will feature a range of digital executions including a YouTube and Facebook page, as well as downloadable wallpapers, ringtones, message tones and voicemails available on comparethemeerkat.com.au.
The initial ‘We Love to Compare’ campaign launched in January to announce the arrival of comparethemarket.com.au. The advert introduced Australians to the art of comparing products and services online, via an informative TV and radio ads. Since then, many have been speculating as to whether the infamous Russian meerkat would be gracing their screens down under.
George Meligonis, managing director of comparethemarket.com.au spoke of the Meerkat campaign launch: “Comparethemeerkat.com was hugely successful in the UK and we hope that introducing a similar strategy to the brand here in Australia will help us gain the same visibility and market share – and importantly demonstrate to Australians why comparison websites could help them get a better deal.”
The advertising campaign helped differentiate comparethemarket.com in the crowded UK comparison site market. The campaign recently topped a Nielsen consumer poll as the UK’s most loved ad (December 2012).
VCCP Australia are handling all brand and creative responsibilities; using a mix of new and established creative, working alongside comparethemarket.com’s globally aligned planning and buying agency ZenithOptimedia. Whilst one of Australia’s most successful PR agencies, thrive pr + communications, are handling all of the communications.
7 Comments
Like soccer hooliganism and whining, this will prove less popular here. Such a laboured, self conscious pun.
What’s there not to like? A Hugh Hefner styled Russian meerkat? I think Boris is worried that this may be too high brow for a public more used to Harvey Norman price smashing.
I agree, won’t work here. Personally I don’t hink much of it.
I love it. I smile every time I see the add.
Aleksandr Orlov brings a touch of class to Australian television. I hope we see more of him and his friends and family as per the British commercials. Simples
NO!!!
Because it was popular in another country that makes it right?
Lazy concept. ‘mmm Meerkat documentaries have been popular over the last couple of years…why don’t we use a Meerkat in the ad?’
I reach for the remote each and every time
Enjoy each new ad meerkats very popular