Pitch perfect / The Brokenwood Mysteries is a New Zealand television detective drama and according to the agency, it has an average of 400,000 people tuning in each week (8% of New Zealand’s population). Advertising alongside the show would give brands access to a large audience, but it can be difficult to engage viewers in a tedious topic like life insurance. An IBISWorld report found that there is a falling demand for life insurance in New Zealand, which has caused a decline in the industry. According to the agency, only 29% of New Zealanders are protected with a life insurance policy. With this campaign, Partners Life found a way to market life insurance that walks the line between content and advertising. The agency notes that the tone of the TV series is that of dark humour, and reviews state that the show ‘mixes simple mysteries with casual comedy’. By using the same storyline, actors and tone, the ads complement the show and merge seamlessly into the story.
Consumer insights / According to the agency, research informed the strategy in three ways. It revealed that with the cost of living at an all-time high, Kiwis are prioritising other financial needs, with 54% of New Zealanders stating that life insurance is too expensive. The research also found that traditional advertising wasn’t motivating people to take out life insurance. Lastly, the agency notes that a hallmark of New Zealand culture is to follow the ‘She’ll be right’ mindset. Even when times get tough, Kiwis tend to remain positive – and by not imagining the worst-case scenario, people don’t see the value in protecting themselves in advance. To overcome these challenges, Partners Life had to get creative with its strategy and steer away from industry norms in a way that would grab people’s attention.
Insert your brand into culture / For our Brand Spotlight on Australian insurer NRMA Insurance, we spoke with its parent company’s director of content and customer engagement, Zara Curtis, who told us: ‘We talk about being part of culture a lot. Being there and part of the fabric is really critical.’ This is mainly because the category’s engagement rates are low; insurance is a ‘grudge purchase’ and policies are often renewed automatically. By inserting the ads into a culturally relevant TV show in New Zealand, Partners Life broke with the conventions of traditional insurance advertising and found a context in which people are already engaged. Incorporating the ads into the storyline at the end of the show while viewers are on the edge of their seats allows Partners Life to strike while the iron is hot, rather than fighting for their attention during an ad break. The ads also put life insurance into context. By playing at the end of a show about death and murder, it’s easier for people to see the importance of investing in life insurance.
This campaign brings to mind The Ministry of Health of Peru’s Donor Drama campaign, which saw the organisation alter the scripts of two of its most popular soap operas to drive organ donation. What’s clever about both campaigns is that they use entertainment and storytelling to tackle difficult-to-digest topics by finding the right moment to hijack viewers’ attention when they are most receptive.
