Go Compare's new advertising campaign seems to be an "ironic" acceptance of the fact most people despise their ads. Billboards have apparently been defaced around the country and there have been re-runs of old TV ads which pull out to show an irate looking viewer and a countdown to July 2nd. It's not difficult to picture the meeting where this non-viral viral idea was spawned: a group of "creative talent" sitting round a bright primary-coloured table in what looks like an overpriced playroom, brainstorming and going the extra mile to push their envelopes into the blue sky:
Talent 1: Everyone hates the ads, we've had Gio Compario versus The Big Bad Wolf, saving Cinderalla, back in the Stone Age… you name it, we've sent him there. What next?
Talent 2: The Fritzl basement?
T1: Hmmm, old old news and maybe a bit too far.
Talent 3: The Olympics? Maybe racing against the guy from the Virgin Media campaign?
T1: Richard Branson? Can't afford the image rights.
Silence around the table. Latte cups are played with, iPhones checked.
A throat is cleared.
Talent 4: Er, how about we acknowledge the fact everyone hates the adverts and play on that?
A silently damning chorus of unconvinced faces.
T1: What do you mean?
T4: Well, we go back to the original, we show it again and remind people where it all started. We show some of the other ones then maybe have a viewer trying to change channels. Eh… we could maybe deface some of the posters, have Gio Compario cut off mid song...
Heads nod slowly and shit-eating grins of agreement glow around the table.
T1: It's brilliant. It's ironic AND post-modern. I fucking love it.
It's only a matter of time before this ends up with some cretinous term. I'm going for "Mobius Marketing". Where Go Compare lead the rest will follow. Perhaps the overworked meerkat will turn feral, rip boss meerkat's head off and hold it aloft, screaming "WHO'S FUCKIN' SIMPLES NOW?". Injury lawyers will slip up on their own slimy self-righteousness and sue themselves into oblivion. A piece will appear in Marketing Wank Monthly praising the genius who came up with it in the first place and backs will be well and truly slapped. The most worrying thing for the rest of us is where they'll go next. If making ads purposely irritating worked, why stop there? Creative Talent, DO YOUR WORST.
