From Captain to Detective: Budget Direct Does it Again

Be noticeable. Be recognizable.

Sounds simple, right? Well, unfortunately, it’s not! With figures quoted in the seminal How Brands Grow suggesting over 80% of ads fail these all-important first hurdles, the mind boggles thinking about the volume of money wasted on ineffective advertising.

On the flipside, there are many brands who repeatedly clear these hurdles with aplomb — one of which is Australian insurer, Budget Direct. When the brand moved away from its long-standing mascot (Captain Risky) in 2018, the initial reaction from Cubery HQ was one of shock and surprise. Given characters require tireless consistency to become fully encoded in people’s minds (thus immediately triggering the brand and eliciting an instantaneous emotional response), stepping away from such a valuable asset can be reckless. Or should we say, risky.

Although coming at an immense financial cost, 6 years later and the status quo has once again been restored. However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing: Captain Risky’s successor, Detective Sarge, got off to a rough start.

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We tested the character’s launch campaign back in 2018, with the two-and-a-half-minute cinematic extravaganza met with many blank stares and confused looks by the general public. Unperturbed, the brand put its full weight (and considerable financial resources) behind ensuring Detective Sarge would eventually be at the forefront of every Australian’s minds. Years of deploying and redeploying Sarge (and evolving the often-supernatural world he appears in) has culminated in the character becoming synonymous with the brand.

The brand’s latest campaign is a testament to the detective’s compounding value as the face of the insurer. Less extraterrestrial than previous installments, ‘Reversible’ took a more relatable approach, building a story around a topic that’s the cause of many people’s frustration — reversing a car with a trailer attached. The ad sees Sarge and his entourage watch on as a man backs his trailer into another car, the first domino which sets off a chain reaction of ever-more dramatic (and humorous) incidents.

In terms of being noticed and recognized, the ad excelled. Not only did the amusing narrative prove highly attention-grabbing, but Detective Sarge’s presence meant it was also easily attributable to Budget Direct. To highlight exactly how far the brand has come, the first ‘Insurance Solved’ installment featuring Sarge in 2018 led to just a third of people successfully connecting the ad to Budget Direct. The latest execution has seen this number swell to over 80%.

What 3 things can all advertisers learn from Budget Direct?‍

1. ‍Don’t make people think too hard. As much as marketers might like to believe that everyday people want to actively absorb themselves in the brand’s storytelling and are sitting there eagerly anticipating what they have to say, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Given people are mostly apathetic and indifferent toward advertising, brand cues (such as characters) are pivotal to bridging this gap — providing the best chance possible of being noticed and recognized.
2. ‍Aim for fresh consistency. While persisting with a character is important, so too is placing them in new environments and different scenarios over time. Though six years isn’t exactly a long time in the marketing and communications world (Coca-Cola’s Santa Claus has been deployed for nearly a century!), it’s still imperative to maintain fresh consistency — something Budget Direct achieves through developing new and fun mysteries for Sarge to solve.
3. ‍Characters take time to bed in. Success doesn’t happen overnight. As Budget Direct demonstrates, consistent reinforcement (and considerable investment) is needed before characters eventually become synonymous with the brand — and the advertiser’s pay day ultimately comes. Until then, brands must consider how other structural devices (and contextual cues) can be leveraged to give the brand the best chance of being remembered.

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