Allianz drops ‘Ahhh…llianz’ line with launch of new campaign via yet to be revealed new agency
After many years of the famous ‘Ahhh…llianz’ campaign, Allianz Australia has launched a new brand campaign that focuses on not just being insured, but being inspired.
The campaign is the first by Allianz’s new agency ~ which is yet to be revealed ~ following a split with long-term incumbent MercerBell, which was acquired by Saatchi & Saatchi back in February.
Driving the emotional impact of the campaign is the track ‘Chase That Feeling’ from Australian hip-hop group Hilltop Hoods. The campaign will extend across the full product range. It will be supported by YouTube pre-rolls, online banners, free-to-air and cable TV, radio, print, online and outdoor media.
The new direction will mark a big shift for the brand and the insurance category as a whole says Sascha Hunt, Group Marketing Manager at Allianz Australia: “We saw an opportunity to be different in a category that’s typically focused on the negative consequences. For us, it’s not about creating warnings around the bad that could occur. Instead we want to inspire the freedom that comes from being insured.”
“The message and feeling of this campaign is very positive. It has been made to motivate Australians to get out there and live their lives, knowing that Allianz has got their backs,” says Kylie Jones, Head of Creative Services, Brand and Media at Allianz Australia. “‘Chase That Feeling’ captures this sentiment perfectly.”
Director – Jae Morrison
Production Company – Finch
Producer – Camilla Mazzaferro, Finch
Post production – Finch
Editor – Drew Thompson, ARC
Sound Design – Song Zu
Music – Hilltop Hoods
Clients: Kylie Jones – Head of Creative Services, Brand & Media, Allianz Australia
Melissa Gow – Campaign Manager, Creative Solutions, Allianz Australia
49 Comments
If you watch without audio, this can be an ad for anything, written by nobody and directed by anybody.
Terrible. Shouldn’t have dropped the old strategy, this only blends in with every other forgettable montage out there. And it’s very generic as far as montages go.
Welcome Allianz our newest producer of stock footage.
Which agency would like to step forward to claim this woeful work?
OK, so who is this ad for?
NSW Tourism?
National parks?
Toyota?
Why on earth drop all the equity that has been built over years?
A great campaign…..and a significant investment down the plughole.
Beautifully shot nonetheless.
This looks like stock footage.
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Yes, yes, of course I’m going to bag this. My reasoning: It’s hard enough to get a brand property which separates you from your competitors in a field where products are essentially parity. So Allianz had a device which helped people remember their brand when they were thinking “who should I insure with?’. Few will bother to compare premiums, so they’ll fall back on a brand they’ve heard of. The previous campaign device gave the great unwashed a hook to remember Allianz by. But Allianz have thrown that away, and for what? Something generic and forgettable. Are clients, like the general population getting stupider or is just me? Possibly they were persuaded that the Youi campaign and others running on a ‘Less Use’ strategy were onto something. It would be interesting to know the process that led to this blandness.
Hardly surprising that the yet to be revealed agency wants to stay that way.
Looks like an ad. Smells like an ad.
No amount of psychobabble can justify this campaign. How ironic that a commercial that asks the viewer to be inspired features the most uninspiring voice and soundtrack imaginable. There’s nothing wrong with change – we all accept that – but, at the very least I should know what brand its for and what attribute it is the brand wants to be known for. This is simply vacuous rubbish.
If it ain’t broke…
Congrats to the new agency. With ads like this one, a 2017 follow up is a sure thing.
In-house perhaps?
I dont mind it. And i think it is a good tack against other insurance brands. There.
Something something ‘baby’, something ‘bathwater’.
@Well……….. no, I don’t want fries thanks.
At least it’s not another jokey character and an accident. This is trying to find a new direction which should be rewarded.
Trying to have a crack at youi is a very good idea for a big insurer. Smart.
Really? This is pretty refreshing for an insurance ad. Much better than all the idiotic characters.
This doesn’t deserve shit. A car insurance ad without a crash is pretty brave. I hope it works. Also thanks for killing the ahhhh
Mmmmm…edgy.
Bet this gives the Hoods added street cred.
It looks like a Youi commercial. Same visuals, same art department, same type of talent. If you can’t beat them, join them.
An expensive mistake.
Dirty windscreen.
Honestly mate, I love you. But this… Seriously?
https://media.giphy.com/media/l41lFSzc9uzAxJyLK/giphy.gif
Down down, creative is down
Its not that bad. I mean it could be an ad for a new lifestyle community just past Narre Warren, but it could be worse. Its beautifully shot.
They could also have looked at evolving the ‘Ahhh-lianze’ to be less about awkward moments and more about taking in the wonder of all these amazing destinations… But oh well.
Highlight comments include:
@Coolio
Looks like an ad. Smells like an ad.
*an ad should never appear to be an ad unless it is a parody of ones self.
@Could be worse
They could also have looked at evolving the ‘Ahhh-lianze’ to be less about awkward moments and more about taking in the wonder of all these amazing destinations… But oh well.
*agreed, don’t drop the aaaahlianze, it’s cheezy but it works and looked upon sentimentally by the consumer – same way ‘boo-jet boo-jet’ (budget budget) was. Could be worse, it right. evolve it. modernise it. take a different spin on it. Don’t throw away something that stands out in a nondescript category. BOOOOOOOO.
Ah ha! Manifesto Man strikes again.
No brand can withstand the allure of generic footage and a forgettable script.
What brand is this again? Who knows! You’ve already forgotten….
Last year I saw a Seek ad from Allianz for copywriters so I’m guessing their work’s now produced in-house.
But In-house doesn’t have to mean shithouse:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/allianz-life-brand-marketing-services-154100752.html
I agree with Old CD Guy, throwing away years of well crafted brand equity for wallpaper like this spot makes no sense.
My sympathy’s with the agency that spent years building the client something unique in its category, only to watch it discarded for a bland ‘hit the road’ execution that has no legs.
What a waste.
The link between being insured and being inspired to go take a road trip is pretty weak.
Someone should have taken the idea home to mum, or their other half and said – hey what do you think? This insurance inspires you, and this one (for example) costs less because they ‘get’ how you use your car.
A couple of minutes later, after attempting to explain how Allianz inspires more than any other insurance, you’d be back on track. Not necessarily making more Ahhh ads, but not making this I’d bet.
No matter what juvenile piffle the new client goes on with, the answer to Allianz’ marcom issues is still ‘Ahhhhh..’ She just needed to ensure her new agency made the meaning of ‘Ahhhh…’ relevant to whatever attribute or emotion Allianz felt was needed.
As Dr.Ferdinand Porsche once said, “Change is easy. Improvement is far more difficult’.
Unfortunately, for Alliance, the client and agency took the easy option and in the process dumped a brand asset most of their competitors would love to have. This campaign will not last more than 3 months. Fortunately, for Ms.Hunt, by the time she realises it’s time for another change, she won’t have to look far for the answer.
@the walshy – they won awards for best in house agency. All hail Allianz.
The previous ads and campaigns were crap. Anyone on here lamenting for the change either has no taste, or worked on the previous rubbish themselves and are now bitter about the account is being handled elsewhere.
The ‘Ahhhhhhhliaaaanz’ thing was shite – a first thought at best, that went on to win an Effie, not a Lion.
Wow.
Let’s not lament too much lads and lassies – it’s hardly the death of something we’d all like on our reels, is it?
Having said that, this new stuff is worse – music, montage, mindless and meaningless.
No wonder the twats who came up with it want to remain anonymous.
I challenge the client to take on all the above punters, who’ve lambasted their decision to start afresh, by asking them to come up with something better using your agency brief – a bit of creative crowd sourcing – and see what you get back.
I’m sure Groucho, or Old CD, or Manifesto Man can crack it over a long lunch or four.
C’mon, who’s game?
Shot nicely. Good DOP and direction is probably spot on what was asked for.
Creatively a little bland perhaps, feels like the road trip thing has been done and its a rather generic.
@Get your hands off it : my mother made me promise never to engage with idiots so I must sadly decline your suggestion of ” cracking it” (she gave me some advice on that too) I do have a cat who could improve on it, as soon as he has stopped laughing at the people who have inexplicably supported it. His theory is that they are connected with Allianz competitors wanting them to fail. Very astute cat.
Everyone involved with this should be embarrassed.
Find other jobs.
This ad does not deserve all these disparaging comments that have been posted – no doubt most, if not all the comments that have been written have come from staff members of the agency that have lost the account.
The ahh ads were some of the most annoying, cringeworthy, cheeseball ads that ever went to air! Esp the guy shredding his bill on a lawn mower – wow that’s award winning creative!?! No wonder they wanted something new.
Seems like a decent brief. An insurance company that wants you to drive more rather than less – great.
But don’t just be insured, be inspired? Fuck off. Getting my inspiration from my insurance company is akin to getting my Spotify playlist from my supermarket.
So now you have a brand platform that will instantly make people groan no matter how good the ads are. If you were to sponsor inspiration, that removes the brand from it a touch and makes it slightly more palatable. But to own inspiration – no thanks Allianz, I have a gazillion better places to find my inspiration, starting with ‘The Tony Abbott guide to the best onion farms of Australia’.
Too earnest.
Ahhhhlianz was a bad idea. But an idea nonetheless.
They have swapped a shit idea with no idea at all- and that is simply abysmal.
I wouldn’t even consider this advertising. Its just cinematography.
@Groucho : sick burn, bro.
Inspiration + Insurance? Snowflake client obviously thinks Australians feel warm and fuzzy about paying yet another slug out of their pay.
And obviously the cut-through Aaah campaign wasn’t working and sales must have gone down… because you wouldn’t change a successful one… would you … ?
@This is not that bad:
I agree that the ‘ahh’ ads were ‘some of the most annoying, cringeworthy, cheeseball ads that ever went to air’. They were embarrassing to watch.
But they were memorable (in a wart on your nose kind of way), and clearly worked for the client.
To me this is going backwards. Allianz have simply swapped from cringeworthy to instantly forgettable.
Having said that, I’m only speculating from the outside. Perhaps the brief was to be instantly forgettable. In which case they’ve nailed it.
Did LOL, well done.
To describe the overwhelming tide of criticism as being from embittered former agency staff is simply naive, stupid and demonstrates a complete inability to understand the issues. One day you’ll be experienced enough to understand that, and to respond with arguments that validate whatever position you decide to express.
A missed opportunity to take the campaign to the next level.
Could have kept the value of what the ‘aaah’ had created for the brand.
Strategy should have simply just shifted focus of the existing ‘ahhh’ of oh no!……
…to the ‘ahhh’ of peace of mind.